The Princess and the Pirate
by Danger Mouse 1979
Summary: Couldn't stand the original title anymore, changing it temporarily until I think of a better one, suggestions welcome.
1. Chapter 1 : Greetings and Salutations

Disclaimer - Tenchi and the crew are unfortunately not my property. I had no part in creating them, though I am desperately trying to figure out how to give myself Ryoko's abilities. I am not writing this for the purpose of making money, though if any kind souls see fit to give donations I will not complain. I am writing merely because I'm an obsessive person in general and I really need to get it out of my system. Mayhem is my creation however, and anyone using him without my OK will anger the Great Shaven Cat Goddess and cause her to sic her elite pack of Killer Llamas on you. Criticism is welcome, flames are ignored, praise will inflate my ego greatly, and make sure I actually finish this one-day. Enjoy.

Many thanks to my talented editor, and fellow fanfic author, for his help in making this readable. THANK YOU DREZ!!!!

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Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes

Chapter 1

Greetings and Salutations

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It's amazing how far weapons fire can go when it's not forcing its way through an atmosphere. In this case the two GP cruisers were taking potshots at their latest target from nearly 2 million kilometers away... and scoring hits way to often for their quarry's taste. The target in question was a GP ship itself. Originally designed as a light patrol ship, it had been heavily modified since its initial launch to serve the less than legal activities of its current owner. The pounding it had taken had further served to make its original configuration a thing of memory. Airfoils designed to help it in atmospheric maneuvering were little more than smoldering stumps. The bulges and spines of its sensors and weapons were melted away, charred areas marking where they had been. The armor protecting its oversized engines was warped and scarred from weapon strikes, and several compartments towards the aft were open to space.

The battered ship's pilot swore under his breath as another warning light came on. More of the former patrol ships systems were damaged than intact anymore... but his ship's shields were still up, though barely, and his engines were still running at full power and then some. It would have to be enough.

The two GP pursuit cruisers were new models, fresh from the shipyards and powerful enough to take on warships if they had to. But the officers piloting them weren't willing to run the risks their quarry was. The suspect's engines had been running deep in the red for nearly 15 minutes already, nearly twice the normal amount of power being fed into them. But his goal was in sight; they only had to last a handful of minutes more.

"You are entering a protected area of space, you're already charged with several dozen serious crimes... don't make things worse for yourself!" An authoritative voice called over the ships communications system.

The fleeing pilot rapidly threw a series of switches, rerouting power from the failing life support systems and dumping it into the remaining cooling systems in an attempt to keep the ship from literally melting from the heat of her own engines. Acting almost entirely on instinct he threw the battered ship into a wild evasive pattern... making its frame groan in protest, but managing to dodge the majority of a concentrated volley of weapons fire. Flicking open a communications channel he snarled his answer "If you pigs catch me your just gonna send me off to be hung, so I may as well die a free man!"

Switching his comm. systems off and rerouting the power to his draining shields, however small an effect it would actually have, the fugitive muttered under his breath "God I hope that sounded convincing... or at least not as corny as I think it did." Looking out of the cockpit at the rapidly growing blue, white, and green sphere ahead of him, a wistful smile graced his features. "Fuck, even if I do get myself killed, at least I got to see home again first..." With that thought he dumped the last of his reserve power into the already straining engines.

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"This guy is completely nuts." Kiyone muttered under her breath even as she moved into an intercept position in high Earth orbit, the pursuit of the pirate vessel displayed prominently on an overhead screen.

"Why do yah think he's nuts Kiyone?" was Mihoshi's bewildered response.

"The guy is running his engines at nearly two hundred percent of their rated maximum output Mihoshi! He's damned lucky that they haven't blown up from the strain yet." Kiyone explained, rolling her eyes at her partner's ability to miss the obvious.

"Oh... he must really be in a hurry then." Mihoshi said brightly, smiling cheerfully at Kiyone.

"Suicidal would be a more appropriate term for it if you ask me." Kiyone replied absently, her attention focused almost entirely on the approaching ships. "Get that grapple beam ready... we're going to try and grab him as he goes by. With this big a difference in velocities we won't be able to stop him completely, but hopefully we'll slow the ship down enough for the cruisers to catch up and complete the capture."

"Okay Kiyone!" the blonde detective replied cheerily before turning to her control panel with a confused expression "how exactly do I do that again?"

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The ship's main sensor array had been hit nearly an hour ago, so it wasn't surprising that it's harried pilot didn't see the third GP ship until he was less than a hundred kilometers away from it, and that it had already fired it's grapple beam when he finally did see it. The sudden, unexpected, deceleration overcame the ship's already straining acceleration compensators and threw him roughly against the control panel.

The ship's engines, already overloaded and glowing red from the power being fed into them, exploded in a blinding flash under the sudden additional strain, splitting the heavily damaged ship like an overripe melon. Kiyone and Mihoshi winced away from the flash, painfully bright despite the near instant darkening of their ship's view ports, and fragments of the pirate ship could be heard bouncing off their hull as the wreckage flew past them and into the atmosphere of the blue planet beyond.

Hidden by the destruction of its parent craft, a small pod drifted away from the wreckage and descended into the atmosphere of the planet below, angling for the nearest piece of land, a large island just east of the largest continent.

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Exhausted, Mihoshi and Kiyone staggered into the Masaki household, collapsing onto the living room couch with twin sighs of relief. Mihoshi was asleep and snoring quietly within seconds of her head hitting the cushions.

"So I heard you two had a bit of excitement on patrol today." Washu teased as she walked up behind the two bedraggled GP officers.

"Yeah... the first time in months that we've had to deal with anything more interesting than a traffic violation and the suspect manages to get himself killed!" Kiyone groaned, silently cursing the bad luck that had her patrolling a primitive system in the middle of nowhere.

"Do they know who it was?" Ryoko asked, phasing into the room through the wall behind Washu.

"We're not 100 percent certain of course, after all, its not like there's going to be a body left in the wreckage after a fall from orbit... but they're almost positive it was a class C criminal called Mayhem."

"So what did this guy do to earn the C classification?" Ryoko pressed, curiosity evident in her voice. "I mean, you don't need to be all that powerful to get the rating, but you do have to cause some serious damage." Kiyone had already opened her mouth to answer when...

"Why so interested Ryoko? Think he may be a friend of yours?" Ayeka sneered, the cruel expression marring her otherwise lovely features as she stepped into the room.

"Actually Ayeka, you might want to hear this too." Kiyone cut in before Ryoko could retort; "it involves the Jurai royal family." Not waiting for Ayeka to recover from her surprise Kiyone pressed on with her explanation. "This guy's main crime was the murder of a fairly high ranking member of the royal family about three years ago."

Shocked, it took a few seconds for the lavender haired girl to respond... "W.... Who?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to remember the name Kiyone answered, "Ummm... a Duke Satoshima... I think."

"Uncle Sato!?!?" Ayeka yelped, her lavender eyes widening in surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry Ayeka." Kiyone responded in a sympathetic tone even she wondered why Ayeka hadn't already heard the news. "Were you close?"

Sitting down, Ayeka took a deep breath to steady herself before answering, "No... Not really, it was just a shock I suppose. He and Father were close, but I did not get to see him that often. Even when I did have the opportunity, it was usually during some affair of state. But still, he was my uncle." She paused briefly before continuing, "You said that the criminal was killed... are you certain of it?"

"About as certain as we can be without doing a large-scale search of the crash site and surrounding area or at leas better sensor data." was Kiyone's answer. "Because this is a restricted system though, we only had time to tractor up the major pieces of wreckage and do a cursory sensor-sweep of the area." She frowned and rubbed her temples in an attempt to soothe the migraine she could feel forming. "We're listing him as dead in the official records. I don't see how anyone could have survived that crash. The largest piece of the ship left was the front quarter of one of the engines... and that was little more than a chunk of molten metal. Hell, the thing blew to pieces long before it actually hit and most of it landed in the ocean a few miles off the coast anyway."

"But you didn't find a body?" Ayeka asked, frowning slightly in disapproval.

"I'm afraid not Ayeka. There probably isn't a body to find after that crash." Kiyone explained. "And a search to find any trace of remains wouldn't go unnoticed by the local population or authorities."

Turning to look at Washu, Ayeka asked in a slightly pleading voice, "Washu-chan, do you think, perhaps, that you would be able to find out for sure if that murderer died in the crash?"

"C'mon Ayeka, the guy's dead..." Ryoko cut in "what are you afraid of?"

"I AM NOT AFRAID!!!" Ayeka snapped. "I merely want to be certain that that animal died. If he survived, I will hunt him down myself if I have to." she growled.

"Whatever." Ryoko responded, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to check on Mayuka, you probably woke her up shouting like that. After all, the soundproofing only works if people remember to close the door." Right on cue a soft wail came from the direction of the nursery. "See, told yah." sticking her tongue out at the other girl, Ryoko teleported out of the room.

Smiling softly at her daughter's actions Washu finally responded to Ayeka's question "I suppose I can check for you Ayeka." She answered with a grin. "This _Mayhem_ actually has a bit of a reputation."

"A reputation?" Ayeka queried.

Kiyone cut in with an answer before Washu could respond, "He's been reported killed on at least four separate occasions, though never in anything quite this dramatic before." Ayeka's eyes widened breifly in surprise, but her expression merely got harder at the revelation.

"Well then, let us be sure that this is the last such occasion."

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Lifting the crying Mayuka from her crib, Ryoko couldn't help but smile lovingly at the beautiful child she now cradled to her chest. Despite her admittedly turbulent relationship with the girl when she first arrived in their lives, she really had grown to love the child. In fact, of all the girls, she spent the most time doting on the infant girl... though this was a fact she did her best to hide from everyone. "Did that nasty ol' Ayeka wake you up Mayuka-Chan?" she asked in a soft voice, placing a soft kiss on the child's forehead.

Tenchi, responding to Mayuka's cries, was greeted with a pleasant surprise. Making a quick decision, he stopped in his tracks and put his grandfather's training to good use, masking his presence as best he could. Not wanting to disturb the rare, tender, scene that lay before him, he contented himself with simply watching from the half open door. He was rather surprised that Ryoko hadn't noticed him yet, even with him using his not inconsiderable training in stealth, but was more than willing to accept small favors when they came to him.

Even after being merged with Zero, times when Ryoko would drop her tough-girl act were few and far between, and she tended to overcompensate and act up even more than usual when she got caught acting "soft". Ever since Washu had brought Mayuka back in her new infant form though, the brash cyan-haired girl had been letting her guard down more and more often.

Tenchi watched quietly from the hallway as Mayuka's cries quieted and finally stopped completely. Sitting down in the comfortable rocker that stood beside the window Ryoko managed to surprise Tenchi once again. She began to sing. The obviously alien words slipped from her lips, soft and calming, and her secret audience smiled softly in response. Ryoko's singing voice was low and a little rough, not really remarkable in the technical sense, but rather nice just the same. The song seemed to wrap itself around him, soothing him to the core... and apparently it was having a similar effect on his daughter as well, the tiny girl falling asleep before the second verse was finished.

"Beautiful." the word slipped unbidden from his lips as the song finished. With a start Ryoko's head whipped around to look at the door, her eyes wide. Seeing Tenchi standing there, watching her intently, she blushed beet red. Realizing that he was still staring, Tenchi followed suit.

"Sorry Ryoko..." Tenchi stammered, silently berating himself for forgetting how good Ryoko's hearing was, "you two looked so peaceful... I didn't want to disturb you."

"That's okay Tenchi." Ryoko replied quickly, "She's asleep again anyway... I was about to put her back in bed." she finished in a whisper, her blush fading a bit as the soft smile she had been wearing returned. She was probably going to be nearly impossible to deal with for a day or two after this Tenchi realized, but he decided that it had been worth it just this once.

As Ryoko laid the sleeping Mayuka back in the crib and tucked her in, Tenchi whispered in a slightly nervous voice "That song you were singing, it was beautiful. Where'd you learn it?"

"I don't know really... I just remember the words... I'm not really sure what they mean exactly. Honestly, I don't even remember exactly where I know it from." She attempted to make her voice casual and dismissive, but a slight waver crept into it against her will, and her tone only got sadder as she continued. "There are a lot of places in my life that I can't remember..." then to herself, almost inaudibly "a lot more I wish I didn't remember." Despite her best efforts a tear trailed down her cheek, and she hastily wiped the back of her arm across her cheek. Tenchi saw it anyway.

Tenchi didn't think he was actually supposed to have heard the last part of that, he knew that she definitely hadn't wanted him to see the tear, but he responded before he could really think about it. Taking a few quick steps forward he wrapped his arms around Ryoko's slender form in a comforting hug, her back to his chest, one of his arms slipping around her slim waist, the other around her shoulders.

Stiffening for an almost imperceptible moment out of sheer surprise, Ryoko quickly relaxed into the hug, savoring the unexpected contact. She could count the times he'd hugged her without any sort of encouragement on one hand. Each time she considered a treasured memory, but this... this was almost heaven.

"You okay Ryoko?" Tenchi whispered, and he was genuinely concerned... this melancholy mood was VERY out of character for the ex-pirate. He was a little surprised at the strength his own reaction, but something inside of him couldn't stand to see the cyan-haired girl in pain. Not when there was something he might be able do about it.

Shivering slightly from the feel of his warm breath brushing across her ear, Ryoko nodded, she was still feeling a little blue for whatever reason, but that was quickly changing as Tenchi's unusual display of affection continued. Turning in his arms she buried her face into his chest, breathing in his scent. Silent tears that she couldn't quite explain trickled down her cheeks as she concentrated on the boy holding her, letting his warmth chase her personal demons away for the time being. "My Tenchi..." she purred softly sliding her arms around his waist and returning his hug almost fiercely. For once, Tenchi didn't pull away.

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The fugitive known to the galaxy at large simply as Mayhem, hurt pretty much everywhere. Not surprising considering how hard the lifeboat had hit. Dunking his head into the thin stream to wash away the dried crust of blood he could feel coating the right side of his face, he let the ice-cold water soothe the pain from his quickly fading injuries. After cleaning up he started wandering down the mountainside heading towards the thin ribbon of asphalt that he could just barely make out a handful of miles distant.

After an hour of scrabbling over the rough terrain the forested mountain offered. He stumbled onto the road he had spotted, picked a direction and began hiking. It was nearly half an hour before he got a clue as to where he had touched down. It was a street sign. The sign was in Japanese and read, "Tokyo, 50 kilometers".

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Calling up several dozen recordings of the incident as filmed by her orbital surveillance network, Washu quickly ran them through what she considered to be a fairly simple analysis program, the fact that nearly any government would have killed to get their hands on the program never really occurred to her. Not that it would have made any difference if it had. In a matter of minutes the program had isolated a single part of the incident and constructed the dozens of 2-D shots and other sensor readings into a highly detailed 3-D holograph. Chuckling slightly to herself, Washu found she couldn't help but be a little impressed; not something that happened terribly often.

"Oh Ayeka's going to LOVE this." She muttered to herself, printing out a few hard copies of the escape pod entering the atmosphere to show the anxious Princess.

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Ayeka was feeling rather agitated at the moment. The two detectives had left the room to get some sleep, Kiyone practically dragging a half-asleep Mihoshi up the stairs to their room. To work off some of the irritation she had started pacing back and forth across the large living room as she waited for Washu to finish with her analysis.

"I can't believe Mother didn't tell me about something this important immediately!" she ranted to the empty room, which, being largely ignorant when it came to human speech, did it's best to ignore her.

"What did Mother not tell you Ayeka? Sasami asked curiously as she walked into the room, Ryo-ohki following close behind the young princess in her toddler form as was normal.

Stopping her ranting abruptly, Ayeka's eye's widened slightly as she realized that her sister hadn't heard the terrible news yet. "Oh, Sasami..." she hesitated slightly before continuing in a soft, concerned voice, "Sasami, do you remember Uncle Satoshima?"

Sasami nodded hesitantly before answering in a slightly uncomfortable voice, "Uh-huh. Not very well, but I do remember him Sis." She chewed on her bottom lip as she dredged up the few faint memories she had of her uncle. "He always made me feel kind of uncomfortable." she said hesitantly, not liking to ever say anything even remotely bad about anybody.

Ayeka blinked, then managed to chuckle slightly before replying, "He did always act rather more familiar than was appropriate for someone of his station. He was just trying to be friendly I suppose." she mused briefly, a slight smile on her face as she remembered. Sobering quickly she motioned for Sasami to sit on the couch beside her. "I'm afraid that he... died almost three years ago."

"Oh... that's awful." Sasami said walking over to give her obviously upset sister a hug. "I wonder why mom didn't want to tell us?"

"I suppose she didn't want to upset us.... he was murdered." Ayeka explained softly her voice a mixture of quiet mourning and simmering anger.

Sasami's eyes widened and she gasped at the news. She didn't say anything, merely hugging her big sister as everything tumbled out of the older girl in a rush. Washu watched from the doorway of her lab, giving the two sisters a few minutes to grieve together before she dropped the latest bombshell on them.

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Reluctantly unwrapping his arms from around Ryoko's slender form Tenchi tilted her chin up so he could see her golden eyes. "Feeling better now Ryoko?" he asked the young woman standing before him.

Despite her tear-streaked face and puffy eyes, a genuine smile graced her features. "Yes Tenchi... thank you..." blushing a little despite herself under his gaze Ryoko tried to gather up some of her normal bravado... she took a quick step forward, bringing her face barely an inch away from his, her eyes half closed...

Tenchi's eye's widened and he could feel the familiar pressure building in the back of his nose. He swallowed nervously, almost painfully aware how little distance separated his lips from hers... from her soft, perfectly formed, lips...

Her next words were whispered, barely audible, her voice low, throaty, almost pleading, "Tenchi... please..." the tip of her tongue darted briefly across her lips... "Kiss me." Tenchi, dazed and running almost entirely on autopilot leaned forward, his arms slipping back around Ryoko's slender waist... their lips brushed.... and an angered scream from downstairs shattered the moment.

Pulling away abruptly, his face red to the tips of his ears and a small trickle of blood coming from his nose Tenchi practically ran out of the room, babbling confused apologies and excuses that Ryoko didn't really hear. Wanting to scream herself, the only thing that stopped her from flying after the fleeing Tenchi and dragging him someplace private was Mayuka's upset wail. With a frustrated sigh Ryoko turned to attend to the crying child.

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Tenchi bounded down the stairs into the living room, "What's wrong?!?!" he asked in a bewildered tone, observing the people in the room. Ayeka was stalking back and forth almost growling under her breath...

"Of all the incompetent, moronic, amateurish, screw ups!" she growled angrily to the room at large.

Now thoroughly confused Tenchi threw a questioning look over at Washu, who was watching Ayeka with no small amount of amusement showing on her face.

"Ayeka, nobody screwed up. The guy's just damned good. Heck, I'M impressed." Washu exclaimed. This calmed Ayeka down a little bit, as she stopped ranting to listen. "Without the sensor net I have set up in orbit even I might've missed that escape. Either the guy's one of the more skilled escape artists I've ever had the privilege of witnessing, or he has luck to rival Mihoshi's at her best."

"Do you know where on the planet he is Washu-chan?" Ayeka asked, a hard edge underlying the hopeful tone of her voice.

"Well I'm pretty sure he's in Tokyo actually." Washu answered with a grin. "After I managed to get a fix on his escape pod I was able to track a body walking away from the crash site. A car picked him up, and I lost him after he entered Tokyo. His energy signature is too weak to track from long range in that crowded of an environment."

"Is there any way to find him Washu-chan?" she asked, her eyes flashing fire as she visibly struggled to keep her temper in check.

Looking thoughtful for a second Washu answered "Well his energy signature is distinct enough that we could probably track it with some short-range hand-held units I have in my lab... but we'd have to get pretty close, a kilometer at the most. If he's still in Tokyo that shouldn't be a to big of a problem though."

"Ummm... what's going on?" Tenchi practically wailed.

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Thanking the young woman that had given him a ride into Tokyo, Mayhem wandered as casually down the street as he could manage in the torn and battered fatigues he was wearing. Doing his best not to attract any undue attention, he strolled into a nearby gift-shop and snitched a tourist map. The slight pang of guilt that accompanied the theft didn't do anything to help his mood. He was hungry, exhausted, and broke. Fortunately he spoke Japanese fairly well because of the classes he took in high school and its weird similarity to Jurian, even if his accent was readily apparent. Fingering the jewel-encrusted pendant in his pocket he began looking for a pawnshop.

After about two hours and more wrong turns than he could count, Mayhem finally found what he'd been looking for. The shop was old, battered, and had a distinctly disreputable air about it. It was a place that wouldn't ask any questions or report anything unusual to the local authorities. Exactly the kind of place a man on the run could sell off some of his loot. Straightening his rather beat up clothing as best he could he strode into the dim shop, looking considerably more confident than he felt.

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"Tell me again why we're going into Tokyo?" Ryoko asked, sulking in the back of the van.

"Because I will not let a murderer escape justice if I can prevent it... particularly one who is powerful enough to kill a member of the Jurai royal family." Ayeka replied in a tight voice. "He killed a member of my family. I WILL see him brought to justice."

"Has it ever occurred to you that if he was able to take out your Uncle he may very well be able to kill you too Ayeka." Ryoko snapped back. "Or kill or seriously hurt any one of us... maybe even Tenchi."

"Oh come on Ryoko." Tenchi called in a slightly nervous voice from the front seat. "We've faced worse threats than this guy."

"Actually Ryoko's got a good point Tenchi." Kiyone interjected. We don't give criminals a C rating without good reason." Her voice hard she added, "Underestimate this guy and it could get you killed."

"Killed?" Mihoshi asked in a trembling voice. "I don't wanna die!!!" she bawled.

"No one is going to die Mihoshi." Ayeka barked, her already frayed temper snapping.

"Really?" the blonde sniffed.

"Really Mihoshi." Kiyone assured. "We just need to be careful." Sighing she added, "You know guys, this is really a GP matter, the rest of you don't really need to come along."

"We're a team Kiyone... we do this together." Tenchi cut in from his place in the driver's seat, his voice rather atypically firm. "Now Washu, what's the plan?"

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Shrugging on the old army jacket he had picked up, Mayhem walked out of the old pawnshop into the quickly cooling evening. Shivering slightly because of the chill he looked over his map for a nearby hotel.

"Christ, I forgot how big Tokyo was." He muttered under his breath as he tucked the map under his arm and started out. "Now if I can only manage to not get lost."

Mayhem sighed out loud at the situation he was in. "Well I guess I really shouldn't complain, at least I hit dry land. I may be in the wrong hemisphere, but at least it's Japan instead of China or Mongolia or just about anywhere else." With another sigh, he began walking in what he thought was the right direction.

"_Getting the rest of the way home from here shouldn't be a huge deal as long as I don't run out of stuff to sell off._" He barked out a harsh laugh at that thought, absently patting the small, multi-dimensional pouch strapped to his belt.

"_Good lord,_" Mayhem thought to himself, "_I STILL can't believe that a crook as successful as Zapan stored so much of his personal stash in one place. Especially one this easy to steal_."

"Ah well, I'll call home tomorrow. Of course, the fact that I'm probably listed as dead is going to be a pain, but it's not like I can't forge documents if I need to." He muttered to himself under his breath. "God, I can't wait to see everybody again... I just hope that I can explain what happened without getting thrown in the nuthouse." Chuckling to himself he picked up his pace, eager for the next day to come.

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Ayeka glared at the still silent tracking device in her hand as if it alone was responsible for the lack of any results so far. Unfortunately its range was limited, so in order to increase the groups chances of finding their quarry, they had split up in a carefully mapped out search pattern. The second any one of them got a reading a homing beacon in their tracking device would immediately switch on, and they would follow this Mayhem at a distance until the rest of the group had arrived. Or at least that was how the plan was supposed to work.

"Where can that criminal be hiding!" Ayeka seethed. "If he has left the city already I swear I will call in the Jurian royal guard to track him down, protected colony or not!" At the back of her mind she new she was being irrational about the whole matter. But the rage over the murder of her Uncle, a respected member of the Royal Family, was drowning out that voice of reason quite effectively.

Absorbed in her own angry thoughts the sudden beep of her tracking device's homing beacon switching on made her jump, a surprised yelp escaping her lips.

"Finally!" She exclaimed with a snarl as she set out to find her target. Pointedly ignoring the stares her shout had drawn.

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"Non-local energy signature detected broadcasting from 550 meters, at 350 degrees from magnetic north" His small portable computer beeped in English from its place on his belt. The tinny, electronic words were enough to make his heart clench in his chest.

Snapping on a small headset that resembled nothing more than simple pair of wrap-around sunglasses he spoke a soft series of commands in his native tongue. "Activate tactical display; bring up tracking information and detailed IR display." Drawing a small weapon from beneath his coat he quickly made his way towards the signal source, taking to the rooftops in a series of bounding leaps.

Mere minutes later he slipped off the headset to get a better look at the small woman the signal was emanating from. The wind was blowing from her direction, and he could smell her nervousness and anger clearly. Her body language was controlled, but still quite anxious. She was looking in his basic direction, but it was clear that she didn't actually see him. Looking closely he bit back a curse. The girl's hair was purple! And the hairstyle was one he recognized as being pretty popular among the more affluent Jurians.

Slipping on his headset again he muttered "Light amplification mode, zoom to 200". Quickly scanning the small woman again he spotted her tiara, immediately recognizing it for what it was. Her key, the item that linked Jurian nobility t their ships and made them as powerful as they were.

"Great she's a noble, just my friggin' luck." He muttered to himself even as he quickly worked out how he was going to get the tiara off her without it turning into a full-blown fight.

Quickly activating a small jamming device he jumped down from his perch on a small balcony above a nightclub and slipped into the light evening crowd when the girl turned her head briefly. Keeping his head low and temporarily joining a group of drunk college students that were heading roughly in the right direction he manage to get right next to the Jurian without attracting her notice. His hand in his pocket he readied a tiny blaster.

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Ayeka was feeling distinctly nervous, shortly after the homing beacon had activated her quarry had started to rapidly close on her position. Looking anxiously in the direction indicated by the tracking device, she could see dozens of people coming in and out of a busy nightclub a mere twenty meters away from her.

When the tracking device's small screen fuzzed out Ayeka nearly panicked and ran. For all her anger, she remembered all too well the briefing that Kiyone had given them on their target. This Mayhem was dangerous, and had built a colorful and fearful reputation in the three years following the murder of her Uncle. He was credited with the deaths of several dozen very powerful individuals in the galaxies criminal community, among other things.

Before she could react Ayeka felt her tiara lifted from her brow and something press against the small of her back. An overly friendly voice behind her said in accented, but otherwise flawless Jurian "You give me even the slightest reason to use this gun and I won't hesitate. If you were tracking me you must know who I am... and my reputation."

Quickly composing herself Ayeka replied in her native tongue "If you kill me in this crowd do you really think you will get away? The police of this nation are supposed to be quite effective, and they will not be lacking for witnesses in a crowd this size."

While the girl's tone was bitterly cold, he could smell the raw fear pouring off her in waves. Mayhem was rather surprised at her control, and he smiled slightly in admiration

"I've killed in front of larger and considerably more formidable crowds than this one. Now I want you to toss that device you're holding into the trash can up ahead as we pass it. Now move." Prodding her gently in the back with the carefully hidden blaster he started walking. As they passed the trashcan he had indicated Ayeka reluctantly tossed the homing device in... her tiara and the still active jamming device joined it.

"You will not get away with this." She hissed, the chill on her voice amazingly enough getting colder as her fear scent was gradually replaced with anger.

"Please tell me you can do better than clichés in this situation M'lady." He chuckled slightly.

"Fine then... when I escape I swear I will have your manhood removed and fed to a school of piranha while you watch." Ayeka growled, the chill on her voice replaced with an almost savage heat.

"Ouch." Keith grimaced.

"And trust me criminal, all it will take is one word to my father and..."

"Your father M'lady?" Mayhem interrupted, amused. "Now who might that be?"

"My father is King Azusa of the Jurai royal family."

Mayhem paled. "You mean I've just nabbed one of the Royal princesses? _SHIT_! As if the guy wasn't pissed at me already!!!" he was almost wailing, not really caring if the princess in front of him heard.

"If you let me go now you may be lucky enough to earn a painless death." Ayeka sneered. "If you don't I guarantee that they will draw your execution out for days. Weeks if what I've heard about you is even half true."

"Well I guess I'll just have to avoid getting caught then Princess." He snarled, pushing her onto a nearly abandoned bus headed for the outskirts of the city.

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"Dammit!!!" Ryoko yelled, startling a good number of drunken partygoers into sobriety. "Where the hell is that girl?" she growled, trying to keep the worry out of her voice. She had been the first to arrive at the position where Ayeka's homing device had indicated. Now the only one left to arrive was Washu, who had been searching in almost exactly the opposite direction from Ayeka.

The group had been questioning the people in the immediate area about Ayeka, but unfortunately most of them were either too drunk to remember much or simply hadn't seen anything. All in all it was frustrating and was playing havoc on their nerves.

"Washu!" Tenchi cried as the diminutive scientist jumped out of the cab she had grabbed in order to get to the site of Ayeka's disappearance. "We can't find any sign of her or her tracking device." he explained in a worried voice. "We haven't found anybody who remembers seeing her yet either."

Activating her ethereal computer Washu started to rapidly punch in a series of commands. "Well if the tracking device I gave her is still intact I should be able to track it no matter what. At least in this low-tech environment." She furrowed her brow in concentration a she scrolled through the information on her computer screen, ignoring the amazed stares that her computer was drawing from partygoers as they walked by. "That's odd," she murmured.

"What's odd Washu?" Tenchi asked.

"That's Washu-CHAN!" she admonished before continuing. "There's a localized jamming field covering this area. A Jurian military type at that." She answered, shutting off her computer and walking over to a nearby garbage can. Looking into it she wrinkled her nose, took a step back and kicked the thing over, spilling its rather ripe contents onto the sidewalk. Pulling a pair of rubber gloves out of a subspace pocket she pulled them on and crouched, digging through the spilled trash.

"What the hell are you looking for Washu?" Ryoko asked, walking over from her inspection of one of the nearby shops.

Fishing out several familiar looking objects, she held them up for the rest of the group to see. Ryoko cursed under her breath. Tenchi just muttered a soft "oh no." They were dirty, but they were instantly recognizable as Ayeka's tiara and tracking device.

"If he managed to get her key away from her she's essentially helpless. I doubt he did it by force though. After all, I think people would have remembered the kind of fight it would have taken to get it away from her by force." Washu reasoned.

Ryoko snorted "No kidding... there probably wouldn't be much of a street left after a fight like that." Tenchi just nodded in agreement.

Holding up a small pen shaped object Washu continued in a grim voice, "This is a top of the line Jurian special ops personal jamming device. Apparently he managed to salvage at least some equipment from his ship before it blew. We just better hope he didn't manage to keep a hold of anything too dangerous. The guy's supposed to be deadly even unarmed. I hate to think of what he's capable of with access to top of the line Jurian military equipment like he supposedly carts around"

"So this makes it how many times that Ayeka's been kidnapped now?" was Ryoko's only comment.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ayeka examined her captor out of the corner of her eye. His chin was about level with the top of her head, and he looked to be in good shape. He was broad shouldered with the build of a swimmer or a gymnast, though his loose clothes made it hard to tell unless you looked closely. His hair was a rather ordinary brown, fairly short, but from the looks of it, hadn't been trimmed in months. He also sported a somewhat ragged goatee and mustache.

His eyes were somewhat unusual. Silver, tinted with green, they flashed slightly in the dim light, reflecting what little light there was much like a cats. His nose was sharper and more prominent than most of the Terrans she had seen since arriving on the planet, but wouldn't have been considered unusual on a Jurian. Similarly, he was noticeably paler than Tenchi or most of the other people she had met in Japan.

His mouth was generous, though not overly so. The slight frown he wore looked almost unnatural on his features. Other than that it was a fairly ordinary face, far from unattractive, but still the kind of face that would disappear into a crowd with relative ease. The only things that really drew ones attention to it, aside from his eyes, were the scars and the tattoo that decorated it.

One scar, about an inch long, split his left eyebrow in half at a low angle, causing the hair to grow in an unusual pattern, making it look like the brow was permanently arched. Another set of scars, faded enough with age that you had to look twice to really see them, started under Mayhem's left ear and trailed down his neck and across his throat, ending just above his collarbone. From the look of the ragged lines they had been caused by a set of claws, and had very nearly killed him, should have killed him.

The tattoo was actually on her kidnappers neck. It started just under his right ear and ran down the length of his neck, disappearing under the collar of his jacket. It appeared to be text of some type, though she didn't recognize the language. It consisted of seven runes that she could see, though there may have been more hidden by his jacket. Each one was about two centimeters square. Flat black, the thing reminded her of nothing more than an identification code. After what felt like an eternity of riding in silence Ayeka finally worked up enough nerve to ask a question.

"Why are you doing this?" Ayeka asked in a voice still tight from anger and nervousness.

"Doing what?" he asked from his seat beside the Princess, sounding slightly amused by the question.

"Doing what? You have the nerve to ask me that?" the Princess asked in an angry whisper. He shrugged expressively before retorting.

"You were the one pursuing me Princess, I'm just trying to protect myself."

"But why kidnap me?" she asked tiredly. "Why not just kill me and be done with it?"

"And get your parents even madder at me then they already are? No thank you." Mayhem shuddered slightly before adding "Your Mother is a scary woman when she's pissed Princess." He paused briefly, a thoughtful look passing momentarily over his face, "What's your name anyway Princess?"

"Why should I tell a murdering piece of scum like you that." she answered harshly, the only thing that kept her from yelling it was the press of his gun against her side.

"Tell you what Princess, I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours." he said in a teasing voice, seemingly completely at ease despite the situation.

"I already know your name Mayhem." she spit out.

"I seriously doubt that Princess. Mayhem may be what everyone calls me, but it's not my name. Hell, I don't think that anyone off this planet knows my real name. At least no one alive."

"And why is that you monster, did you kill everyone who found out?" Ayeka retorted angrily.

Mayhem's expression hardened briefly, and he answered in a sharp voice, "I only told one person. She died in a raid by some of your soldiers Princess. They were so anxious to get their hands on me that they ignored the presence of a completely innocent girl and came in shooting."

Ayeka couldn't think of an appropriate response to that, and said nothing.

The bus lurched to a stop and the driver called "Last stop!" over the intercom.

"Well we're here." He sighed. "C'mon Princess." With that they stepped off the bus into the quiet country night.

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End Chapter one.


	2. Chapter 2 : Getting To Know You

David K Mayhew David K Mayhew 2 5 2001-11-01T07:49:00Z 2001-11-01T07:49:00Z 8 3257 18565 Mayhem & Chaos inc 154 37 22799 9.2720 

Disclaimer - Tenchi and the crew are unfortunately not my property.  I had no part in creating them, though I am desperately trying to figure out how to give myself Ryoko's abilities.  I am not writing this for the purpose of making money, though if any kind souls see fit to give donations I will not complain.  I am writing merely because I'm an obsessive person in general and I really need to get it out of my system.  Mayhem is my creation however, and anyone using him without my OK will anger the Great Shaven Cat Goddess and cause her to sic her elite pack of Killer Llamas on you.  Criticism is welcome, flames are ignored, praise will inflate my ego greatly, and make sure I actually finish this one-day.  Enjoy.

Many thanks to my talented editor, and fellow fanfic author, for his help in making this readable.  THANK YOU DREZ!!!!

Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes

Chapter 2

Getting To Know You 

                Back at the Masaki household several hours later Tenchi and the others were all leaning over cups of tea and cans of soda while they discussed options.  

                "Washu, are you absolutely sure that you don't have any way to track Ayeka?"  Tenchi asked for what must have been the dozenth time in the past few hours, worry evident in his voice despite his every effort to keep a strong face.

                Sighing tiredly Washu gave the same answer she had given him several times already.  "With our present resources I'd need to narrow down the search area significantly before any search would have any real chance of producing results.  If she still had her key on her it'd be relatively easy, but without it her Jurian physiology is simply too similar to human to isolate within a large area."  

                "So what can we do then!" an upset Sasami cried.

                "We wait."  Ryoko cut in.   "If he's gone to the trouble of kidnapping her off a busy street, if he put himself at that kind of risk, it wasn't to simply kill her."  Gathering the crying little girl up in a comforting hug the former space pirate continued, "He'll contact us, and when he does Washu will track him down and we'll get your sister back.  Ayeka's too tough to let anything too bad happen to her.  So don't you worry Sasami, she'll be fine."  She gave Sasami a quick wink "If I were you I'd worry more about what she's going to do to the guy that kidnapped her than the other way around."

                "You really think so Ryoko?"  Sasami asked, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

                "You bet kid."  Ryoko reassured with a grin, the rest of the group nodding their heads in agreement.

                "Yeah Sasami, we'll get her back safe and sound.  No problem."  Tenchi added.

                "However, for the moment we just have to wait."  Kiyone said.  "I suggest we all get some sleep now though.  It's late and we're all exhausted."

                "I'll stay up for the first watch."  Washu volunteered.  "It's not like I sleep much anyway, and I want to get all my tracing equipment set up."

                "All right Washu-chan, I'll take the next watch in about 4 hours."  Kiyone volunteered, biting back a yawn.  The rest of the group quickly decided the order of the watch for the night and went to bed.

                Ryoko couldn't sleep.  This is itself was pretty unusual, she could normally sleep just about anywhere and anytime.  But this night… she found herself on the roof contemplating the starlit sky.  Feeling a bit guilty, she realized that it wasn't really Ayeka's kidnapping that was keeping her awake.  At least not entirely.  What she had told Sasami earlier was more or less true.  Ayeka was very capable of taking care of herself, powers or no powers, and she seriously doubted that the guy had nabbed her just to harm her.  No, what was keeping her up was, surprise surprise, Tenchi.  Or rather what had happened yesterday.  'Just one more second and…" she sighed, her voice trailing off.

                "And what?"  Tenchi's voice asked from behind her.  Ryoko jumped a good 6 feet in the air, her face practically glowing red.

                Settling down on the edge of the roof, right beside the place she had just vacated, Tenchi looked up at her floating form with a small, if tired, grin.  "Your jumpy tonight Ryoko.  Don't tell me this guy actually has you scared."  he teased.  

                "I'm not scared!" she retorted defensively.  "You just surprised me, that's all."

                "Sorry."  He said, though he didn't sound all that apologetic.  "So you couldn't sleep either?"  he asked as she settled back onto her place on the roof.  She nodded her head in response.  

                "I swear, sometimes I think that you girls came to Earth for the express purpose of raising my blood pressure."  Tenchi joked.  He put a comforting arm around Ryoko's shoulders "You were right earlier though.  She's going to be fine.  We've faced worse than this.  Right?"

                "Yeah, but this IS the first time we've faced someone that we may not be able to lure into a direct confrontation."" Ryoko pointed out softly.  "Personally I think we should have left the guy alone." she sighed.  "Why does it have to be our job to go after every super powered nutcase in the universe?" the last part was joined by a rather cute pout.

                "I thought you liked adventure Ryoko?"  Tenchi said with a grin.

                She leaned into him, rubbing her cheek against his chest, pouting a bit when he stiffened up, but wrapping an arm around him so he couldn't lean away.  "I like an adventure every now and then.  But not when they always involve putting someone I care about in danger."  She mumbled, her eyelids drooping a bit.

                "Oh, NOW you're falling asleep?"  Tenchi chuckled.  "C'mon Ryoko, I can't carry you off the roof, so your going to have to either get down under your own power or sleep up here."

                "If I fall asleep up here will you stay with me so I don't get cold?" she murmured mischievously.

                "How about I bring you a blanket instead?"  Tenchi answered, smiling at her antics despite himself.  

                "Nuh-uh."  Ryoko mumbled into his chest.  "Gotta better idea…" with that she teleported them onto his bed.

                "RYOKO!"

                "I have just the room for you two." the elderly clerk said in a jovial tone, giving Mayhem a conspiratorial wink, and looking Ayeka over with a discreet, but appreciative eye.  After handing him the key and giving them instructions as to how to get to the room he added a pleasant good-night and went to start locking up.

                "I can't believe you told that man that we were engaged!"  Ayeka raged once they reached the relative privacy of the room.  "There's only one bed in here!  And if you think I'm going to share it with a monster like you, you must truly be insane!!!"

                "Do I really have to put you out with a tranquilizer Princess?" he sighed.  Ayeka paled and shook her head no.  "Good.  You get the bed, I'll sleep on the floor.  That all right with you?"  

                "Y-yes" she stuttered, shocked at the show of kindness from her abductor.

                "Good."  Pulling a small case from the endless recesses of his multi-dimensional pouch.  He quickly set up several security devices around the room.  "I'm not going to tie you to the bed or anything, but be warned that the doors and windows are all booby trapped, and that I set up sound-dampers and a lock on the phone.  Your welcome to try and get past them if you want to, but I assure you that you're not going to like the results."  Turning to look her over with an appraising eye, he added "Your not going to be particularly comfortable wearing that to bed, I think I have something you could borrow if you want to."

                "I think I can do without owing a criminal like you any favors." Ayeka responded icily, having recovered from her shock, and not particularly liking the way he was looking at her.

                "Criminal huh?  Well I guess that's a step up from monster anyway."  He shrugged, "Suit yourself Princess.  Though, however you choose to sleep, I suggest you take a shower. No offense, but your getting kinda ripe, and my nose is pretty damned sensitive." he said with a wide grin.

                "W...What did you just say!"  Ayeka stuttered angrily.  

                "You need to take a shower.  You've been sweating from nerves and exertion for the past few hours, plus however long you spent looking around the city for me... and that Kimono of yours is not exactly lightweight." he pointed out in a reasonable tone.  "My nose is about as sensitive as a bloodhound's, but I don't have a dogs love of anything with a stink."

                "A Stink!"  Ayeka practically shouted, her anger starting to overpower the fear that had kept her from trying anything since he had captured her.  SLAP!!!  The sound of her hand hitting his face practically echoed in the room.  In low angry tones she continued, but he could smell the fear starting to creep back in "If you think that I am going to willingly disrobe with you anywhere even remotely near me you are seriously mistaken."  

                Rubbing his cheek he gave her a devilish grin, his eyes glinting dangerously.  "You are taking a shower.  I've had a long day.  I'm a bit of an insomniac on my best days.  If you don't take a shower your... scent... is going to keep me awake all night.  If you really don't feel comfortable taking it the normal way with me in here I'll find you a bathing suit to wear and your perfectly welcome to lock the damned door.  But you are taking a shower so I can get some damned sleep."   He finished the tirade with an annoyed, slightly threatening tone to his voice.

                "I will NOT!"  Ayeka shot back, her voice harsh and angry, despite the fear in her scent having redoubled during his rant.

                "Fine then... we do this the hard way." With that threw her onto his shoulder.  Ignoring her yelp and the blows she rained down on his back, he walked into the bathroom and started the western style shower up.  That done he dumped her into the stall and strode out, slamming the door behind him.  Before she could really recover from the shock the door flew open, a towel and terrycloth bathrobe were tossed in, and it was slammed shut.  "I'll leave a nightgown on the bed for you" he called from the other side of the door, "Goodnight."

                Ayeka just sat under the spray of warm water, letting the tears she had been holding back stream down from her eyes.

Tenchi was trying very hard to ignore how good Ryoko felt pressed up against him.  Trying hard to not notice how soft her breasts felt pressed against his chest, how her slender legs felt tangled with his own, how good she smelled…  ""Well so much for that idea"" he thought, sighing out loud.  He looked down at the girl lying pressed up against him, her arms wrapped around his chest, her face peaceful in sleep.  She was out like a rock, and she would occasionally mumble something under her breath, a content smile making her normally beautiful features absolutely breathtaking.  

Tearing his gaze away from her sleeping face with some difficulty, Tenchi tried to pry her arms from around him without waking her up.  He had tried several dozen times already, but her grip was like iron.  Fortunately, this time she had relaxed far enough in her sleep that he was able to slip out.  ""Finally!"" he thought in relief.  "I swear Ryoko, you're going to drive me insane one of these days." he whispered as he tucked a thick quilt around her sleeping form, a fond smile tugging at his lips.  "Sweet dreams."  With that he turned to leave the room.

                His hand had just touched the doorknob when he heard a soft, distressed whimper behind him.

                Ryoko was in the cave again.  It was too dark for even her cat-like eyes to see anything.  From all around her she could hear the voice, Kagato's voice, echoing, mocking her weakness.  "Waste product." It sneered, "Worthless.  You are what I tell you to be, you don't deserve anything more."  She wanted to scream that it wasn't true, that he was lying, but she couldn't.  Her voice wouldn't work.  "You actually think that you deserve to be loved Ryoko?"  it taunted, "You think that that boy, Tenchi, could actually love you?  Don't make me laugh."  Kagato's voice assailed her, tearing open wounds that had never had a chance to heal, shoving her worst fears in her face.  "You'll always be alone, you don't deserve anything more."

                ""Tenchi"" she thought desperately, grasping onto her memories of him, trying to hold back the despair and loneliness that threatened to engulf her.

                "Ah yes." The voice laughed cruelly, "the great Tenchi.  Do you think that you can really protect him child?"  it mocked.  "If it wasn't for the interference of Tsunami I would have killed him that day.  And there was nothing that you could have done to prevent that.  You can't protect him because he will never trust you enough to let you protect him."  The voice turned practically gleeful "He can never love you Ryoko, he's scared of you.  He sees you for the monster you are." it jeered.

                There were tears streaming from her tightly shut eyes, and she was whimpering like a lost child.  "T'nchi, no… don' take hm 'way… I love hm…Tenchi…" the words, mumbled and barely comprehensible, pierced the young prince through the heart.

                "Ryoko." Tenchi whispered, sitting down beside her sleeping form and gathering up her surprisingly light form in a tight hug.  "C'mon, wake up Ryoko" he whispered into her ear.  

                "Tenchi?" she mumbled, her voice pleading even in sleep.  

                "Yes Ryoko, it's me" he breathed into her ear, "time to wake up, your having a nightmare."  When she still didn't wake up Tenchi did something that he had wanted to do for a long time, even if he wouldn't admit it, even to himself.  He leaned over and kissed the sleeping girl.  Pressing his lips against hers tenderly.

                Ryoko's eyes fluttered open, looking up at him with a shocked expression as he broke the gentle kiss.  "Tenchi?" she asked.  Her trembling voice trying to express a dozen different emotions with that one word.

                She was crying.  There was nothing in existence that could make him feel guiltier than knowing he made a girl or a child cry.  "Well this qualifies as one of the dumber things I've done in a while" he muttered under his breath in english.  With a sigh he opened up a rarely accessed storage compartment in the Multi-Dimensional Pouch that hung from his belt.  Reaching in he pulled out a thick woolen nightgown, savagely pushing down thoughts of it's previous owner.  After a moments hesitation he pulled out a white and lavender sundress as well, laying them both out on the bed.  "_Well, they should fit her reasonably well anyway_" he sighed.  Knocking quietly on the bathroom door he called just loudly enough to be heard over the sound of running water "I'm sorry Princess.  I left some clothing for you on the bed.  If you don't like them I can get you something better in the morning.  I'm going to get a second room, but I'm leaving all of the security systems in place.  Sorry."

                Ayeka was still in the shower, though she had finally shed her clothes after they had become almost unbearable to wear from the soaking they had received.  She was leaning against the wall, trying to figure out what exactly about this man scared her so much.  She had managed to get her tears under control after a bit, but her eyes felt bloodshot and puffy.  The knock on the bathroom door made her jump, though she managed not to yell out in surprise and fear.  The words that followed the knock shocked her even more though.

                After a few minutes she crept out of the bathroom, clad in the thick bathrobe he had provided her with, to find herself alone.  She noticed the items of clothing he had left on the bed almost immediately.  "I wonder why he would be carrying around such items?" she mused to herself, her fears momentarily forgotten.  "I can't see him wearing them, I doubt they'd even fit him," she giggled at the image this thought conjured, "and he did apologize to me.  It hardly makes up for what he's done, but still…" she trailed off.  Gratefully slipping into the thick nightgown she climbed into the single bed and out of pure exhaustion, quickly fell asleep.

                "Tell me about it?"  Tenchi asked, still holding Ryoko's trembling form in a comforting hug.  Ryoko shook her head no violently and buried her face back into his chest, fighting back sobs.  Tenchi shifted position so that they were lying next to each other on the bed, his arms wrapped around her as she cried herself out.

                "Tenchi?" she whispered after had regained a measure of control.

                "Hmmm?"

                "Are you scared of me?" she asked.  "And I want the truth." She added, managing to put a bit of her usual brashness into her voice with the second statement.

                Tenchi blinked in surprise, looking down at her upturned face, her eyes still red and the trails left by her earlier tears still very much evident.  "Scared of you?  Of course not, not anymore anyway."

                "But you used to be?"  Despite how it was phrased it wasn't really a question.

                "Well you did blow up my school Ryoko." he pointed out with a slight chuckle.

                "You ran away in the cave too, and that damned sword of yours hurt me." She accused, remembering the old pain of what she had seen as a rejection.

                "I didn't mean for it to, and Grandfather raised me on tales of the 'demon' that was trapped in that cave." Tenchi defended himself.  "But I'm sorry I did it Ryoko, and if I could take it back I'd do it in a second." He apologized, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead.  

                "Your not scared of me anymore though?" she asked biting her lip.

                "Never.  You just make me nervous sometimes."  He smiled at her before adding "After all, half the time I end up right in the middle of one of you and Ayeka's fights.  That's enough to make any man nervous."  Ryoko giggled and he could feel her relax into him.

                "I guess that'll do for now." she murmured. "Goodnight Tenchi."

                "Goodnight Ryoko." 

                He'd been in bed for a good 4 hours, he was weary to the bone, and he was still no closer to sleep than he'd been when he started trying.  "Crap" he muttered under his breath "I'm not cut out for kidnappings."

                Sighing to himself he got out of bed and got dressed.  ""Well I guess I have to figure out what to do with the Princess.  Then again, I haven't really confirmed her identity yet."" He mused.  "Well that I can do fairly easily anyway." He said to himself as he reached for his much-abused wallet and pulled out a handful of Jurian bills.  "Lets see…  Asuza, Misaki, Ayeka…" double checking the picture on the note he sighed.  "Ayeka Jurai, first crown princess of the Jurian empire.  Shit."

                ""Well its confirmed.  I have the lousiest luck in all of existence.""  He chuckled slightly to the empty room.  ""Well at least she's cute.  She wants me dead, but she's cute.""  With this he broke down into somewhat hysterical giggles.  "Oh god, if this is this funny, I'm even more tired than I thought."  With that thought he walked out of his room, heading for the bar he had spotted on their way in.

                Considering the events of the day before, Ayeka slept rather peacefully.  Peacefully enough that she was reluctant to wake up.  Eventually though, the sunlight streaming in through the window into her eyes forced her into wakefulness.  With a yawn she sat up… and promptly let out a startled yelp.

                "What are you doing there!" she asked angrily, holding the covers to her chest.

                "Tryin' ta figure out wha' to do with y're royal butt Princess Ayeka"  He slurred.  Looking at him again Ayeka noticed that his eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles.  His clothing was even more rumpled than it had been when she had last seen him, and there were several obvious stains present.  His hair was rumpled, and even his goatee managed to look unkempt.  She could smell the alcohol on his breath all the way from his position in a chair at the foot of the bed.  All in all he looked terrible.

                "Your drunk." She observed.  "And you know my name."

                "Yep."  He affirmed.  

                "Why?  How?" she asked out of morbid curiosity.

                "I'm drunk 'cause I h've dmm'ed good reason t' be.  How?"  to answer her second question he threw a Jurian coin to her.  "It's th' price of bein' royalty princess."

                "Oh." 

                "So wha sh'd I do Prnc'ss?" he asked again.

                "Let me go perhaps?" she responded, scowling at him slightly.

                "I'd love tah." he answered in a morose tone, "but you'd jus' come after me again.  Jus' like ev'rbody else."

                "Maybe you should have thought of that before you killed my uncle!" she snapped at him.

                "It was self defense!!!" he yelled back at her.  "If h'd giv'n me a choice, I would'n have.  As much as he may'v desr'ved it."

                "You were trespassing in the palace!  You'd broken into his quarters!  How is that self defense!" she shouted back, absolutely livid.

                Glaring at her through red-rimmed eyes he simply stood up and staggered out of the room.

                Washu had just woken up from a short nap and was absentmindedly eating the breakfast that Sasami had left for her as she went over Mayhem's GP files.  She had noticed several small inconsistencies in some of the reports on his actions and was running as many analysis programs and searches as she could think of to find out more.  There were several trends that had caught her attention already.

                Yawning Tenchi walked into the dining room.  After grabbing his own breakfast he sat down across from Washu.  "Find anything yet Washu-chan?" he asked hopefully.  

                "Nothing useful for finding Ayeka I'm afraid, but I've started to notice some unusual things in this guys GP file and in other sources."

                "Like what Washu-chan?"  Tenchi asked, curious.

                "Nothing specific yet I'm afraid, just an unusual amount of inconsistencies." she shrugged.  "So how's Ryoko doing?" she asked, a devious grin appearing on her face as she asked.

                "She was sleeping soundly when I... umm..."  he trailed off nervously realizing what he had been about to say.

                "When you...?" Washu asked, trying hard not to burst out laughing.

                Tenchi gulped slightly before regaining control of his voice and finishing quickly "when I checked on her a few minutes ago." 

                "Uh-huh... sure..." Washu teased, chuckling softly when Tenchi blushed slightly.

                "So where's Sasami?" Tenchi asked, changing the subject quickly.

                "She was asleep on the couch the last time I checked." Washu replied, her voice taking on a softer tone, the poor dear is completely worn out."  She frowned slightly in frustration before adding "And the guy who nabbed Ayeka hasn't made so much as a peep in our direction either."  Before she continue the doorbell rang.

                "I'll get it!" Sasami's voice called from the living room.

End chapter Two


	3. Chapter 3 : Friends & Enemies

David K Mayhew David K Mayhew 2 5 2001-11-01T07:50:00Z 2001-11-01T07:50:00Z 8 4180 23827 Mayhem & Chaos inc 198 47 29261 9.2720 

Disclaimer - Tenchi and the crew are unfortunately not my property.  I had no part in creating them, though I am desperately trying to figure out how to give myself Ryoko's abilities.  I am not writing this for the purpose of making money, though if any kind souls see fit to give donations I will not complain.  I am writing merely because I'm an obsessive person in general and I really need to get it out of my system.  Mayhem is my creation however, and anyone using him without my OK will anger the Great Shaven Cat Goddess and cause her to sic her elite pack of Killer Llamas on you.  Criticism is welcome, flames are ignored, praise will inflate my ego greatly, and make sure I actually finish this one-day.  Enjoy.

Many thanks to my talented editor, and fellow fanfic author, for his help in making this readable.  THANK YOU DREZ!!!!

Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes

Chapter 3

Friends & Enemies 

                He was handsome.  Tall with elegant features, pale blond hair tied up in a ponytail that fell to his waist, and ice blue eyes.  If she hadn't been so worried over her sister, Sasami would probably have blushed from the smile he directed at her in greeting.  As it was it took her a second longer than normal to find her voice.

                "Hello, can I help you sir?" she asked

                "Princess Sasami, it's an honor." he said in a formal tone, bowing deeply from the waist.  "I am Lt. First Class Heero Karishima of the Galaxy Police, special crimes unit attached to case 67314." he introduced himself, displaying his badge.  

                "Case 67314?"  Sasami asked.

                "Class A criminal Mayhem." he grimaced when he said the name. "He was reported as dead in the crash of his starship, I'm here to make sure those reports are true."

                The big problem with having a metabolism like his was that it was very very hard to stay drunk.  Oh, he could get drunk easily enough.  He just had to chug about a half bottle of hard liquor as fast as he could.  The problem was that he would burn through all the alcohol less than an hour later, and the more he drank to stay drunk the faster his body burnt it.  In the end he'd just end up dehydrated and with a hangover to end all hangovers.  Needless to say it took a lot to get him to drink.  That's why it was a testament to exactly how bad a day it had been that he was presently finishing his fourth pint of 200 proof whisky.  He had been on his second when he'd visited the princess earlier.  Unfortunately it wasn't working anymore, his body was getting rid of the alcohol as fast as he could ingest it, and he could already feel the hangover about to start pounding on his head with a sledgehammer.

                Disgusted he pegged the bottle at a wall, wincing a bit when the sound of it shattering set off a fairly impressive ringing in his head.  Resigning himself to the hangover, he forced himself to start thinking over his options.  Unfortunately they were all bad ones.

                Option number one.  Kill the girl and be done with it.  Not a chance.   He took a few moments to mentally berate himself for even thinking about that one before continuing.  Option number two.  Let her go and run for it.  Not much better, they'd still know he was alive and send people after him.

                The next option left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he had to consider it.  Use the girl as leverage; force Azusa to call off any and all pursuit in return for her release.  The problems with that being that he didn't think that Asuza would keep any such agreement.  But more importantly, he didn't like the idea of holding an innocent hostage.  He'd managed to avoid it for years, and he'd like to keep it that way.

                Next option.  Deal directly with Ayeka.  Tell her his side of what happened, and hope she'd agree to just leave him alone and not tell anyone that he was still alive, and get anyone she had been with to do the same.  He liked that option better but there were some serious flaws in it.  First off he had no real proof of his version of events, and he doubted she'd trust him anyway.  Not to mention the fact that whoever she'd been with may have already spread the news.  But still, it was worth a shot he supposed.  That decided, he turned back towards the hotel and tried to ignore the migraine level headache that was attempting to burst his skull.

                Heero's frown had gotten deeper and deeper as the story went on.  Eye's sparking dangerously he summarized the situation in one sentence.  "So the knave has the Princess, and you have no way of finding him?"

                "Not until he contacts us."  Washu answered curtly.  Eyeing Heero with a critical eye she added "If you don't mind me asking Lieutenant, you seem to be taking this rather personally for someone who's never met Ayeka before?"

                Grimacing a little at the diminutive scientist's familiar use of the princess's name Heero answered,  "I'm a former member of the Jurian royal guard.  I was assigned to Duke Satoshima when that animal slew him."  The venom behind those words was obvious.  "If it is with my dying breath, I will see him dead."

                "Mom?" 

                Washu eyed her daughter suspiciously, a knowing smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.  The only time Ryoko called her mom consciously without any sort of coercion was when she wanted something.  "Yes Ryoko?"

                "Is it just me, or does something about this guy seem just a little bit... I don't know... off?" Ryoko asked, looking worriedly over at their new guest as he went over a map of the area with Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Tenchi.

                "Other than the fact that it's highly irregular for the GP to assign an officer to a case that they're personally tied to..." Washu trailed off with a slightly frustrated sigh.  "Not really Ryoko, but I suppose I could check into him if you really think that it's important."  She smiled a rare, completely genuine smile, at her daughter.  "Somewhere along the line you developed good instincts about people."

                "Thanks mom."  Ryoko returned the smile, even if hers was a little on the strained side.

                "Sorry I'm so late with breakfast Princess." he called into the room as he kicked the door shut behind him.  "Hope you don't mind..." he was cut off as Ayeka broke one of the room's chairs over the back of his head.  Stunned he dropped to the floor like a marionette with it's strings cut, the tray of food he'd been carrying going everywhere.  Before he could recover Ayeka reached under his coat and grabbed his blaster.

                "You give me the slightest excuse and I'll blow a hole through your head." Ayeka growled, the small blaster wavering in her hand just the tiniest bit.

                Pushing himself into a sitting position with a wince he commented, "For such a tiny girl you've got one hell of a swing Ayeka."   Giving her a once over her he added "I guess I should be thankful that you just hit me with a chair."  Despite her outward show of anger, he could smell her nervousness, and long experience made it obvious to him that she wasn't even the slightest bit comfortable with the weapon she'd taken from him.

                "I couldn't find anything with sharp edges I'm afraid." she shot back acidly.

                "Fine, you got me.  It doesn't really change the situation much I'm afraid."  He tenderly probed at the lump on the back of his head and was pleased to note that the swelling was almost gone already.  "You still can't get past the security I set up without my help.  I'm not letting you go yet Princess."

                "I could just blow off extremities until you changed your mind." Ayeka shot back, her tone more confident than it had been before.

                "Not with that you can't." he replied, shooting a small grin at her.  "It's a stun blaster.  Completely and totally non-lethal."

                "Your lying." she spat.

                "Ayeka, I never had any intention of harming you, and I still don't."  Mayhem said with a sigh.  "Despite the stories, I'm not a monster."

                "Then turn of the security systems and let me go home." 

                "Eventually Princess, I just ask one favor of you first."

                "What favor?" she asked in a cautious tone, eyeing him suspiciously, her scent, a confusing mix of fear hope, adrenalin, and nervousness.

                "Just listen to my side of this whole bloody mess."

                Washu scanned through Lt. Heero's personnel file for the third time, rubbing her eyes to ward away the fatigue that was building despite the various pharmaceuticals and stimulants she had taken to keep it in check for the past three days.  On the surface, the Lt. had a perfect record.  The one blight on it being his consistent failure to capture Mayhem.  Almost every recorded encounter they'd had resulted in millions in damage, blamed of course entirely on Mayhem.  Funny thing though, though there were often casualties in the incidents, the only witness pinning any of them directly on Mayhem was the Lt. himself.  

                On one occasion Lt. Heero had gone in with an entire squad of GP troops, and he had been he only one to survive the encounter.  Nearly all the troops had died as a result of blaster wounds consistent with a type of blaster used by many GP troops.  According to the Lt.'s report Mayhem had been using a stolen GP weapon during the firefight.  Because of his record and Mayhems reputation no one seemed to have questioned him on that report.  That struck Washu as odd, as in the few recordings she'd seen of Mayhem in battle, she had never seen him use any ranged weapons.  He seemed to do almost all of his fighting hand to hand.  Fists, feet, stun-rods, random pieces of furniture, even on one occasion his teeth, but never a gun of any sort.

                In fact, Mayhem himself was blamed with over three-dozen different killings, but only the killing of Duke Satoshima had proof beyond Lt. Heero's testimony or the testimony of various criminal elements.  Knitting her eyebrows she leaned closer to the screen and got back to work.

                It was nearly midnight.  After a long evening of planning with the Lt. they had managed to at least decide on what areas he'd most likely fled to.  Heero's past experience with their quarry having helped enough for their own knowledge of the area and Washu's hacking skills to narrow things down to the point that a search had a chance of getting results.

                Rubbing at her eyes tiredly Kiyone let out a frustrated sigh.  "Well, it's a start anyway."  She shot a quick smile towards their new arrival.  "I'm damned glad you decided to stop by Lt..  Most people who go after our happy little group are a bit easier to find."

                Heero returned the smile with a slight grin of his own.  "Kiyone, I have to wonder.  Why haven't you called for backup as of yet?  I'm sure that both the GP or the Jurian military would have been more than happy to assist."

                Kiyone sighed, glancing briefly at the curled, softly snoring form of Mihoshi with a mixture of irritation and envy.  "We considered it, but when we weighed the added resources against the possibility of scaring the guy and forcing his hand..." She grimaced slightly, "It's just wasn't worth the possible risk to Ayeka's safety."

                Grimacing slightly in distaste, Heero nodded his head in agreement, though with a bit of reluctance.  "Then it is fortunate that Ayeka has managed to surround herself with such... impressive... allies." 

                Kiyone grinned slightly at that.  "Well, I'm going to crash, you should get some sleep too Lt..  Goodnight"  With that she stood up, stretched and trudged up the stairs to her room.

                "Goodnight Detective."

                Ryoko found herself on the roof again.  The fact that she was the only person in the house, except maybe Washu, who could easily get up there made it to be a good place to be alone.  A good place to think.    Not that she was having any luck in that regard.  The day's events had her head spinning.  She wasn't used to sitting around during this type of event, and the fact that the guy hadn't even tried to contact them yet was bugging the hell out of her.

                Next on her list of confusing events was Tenchi.  Always Tenchi.  The previous night had been... wonderful.  And it felt so unreal in her mind that she was starting to doubt that it'd been anything but a pleasant dream.  Tenchi hadn't treated her any differently than normal that day, almost ignoring her as he planned things out with Washu and the three GP officers.  He had kissed her last night... and it had been wonderful.  But he hadn't done anything since.  No matter what she tried.  He'd just stiffen up and get nervous like he always did.  Angrily she wiped away the tears that trailed down her cheeks.

                "Tenchi no Baka!" she growled.

                "What did I do?" Tenchi asked from behind her.  

                With a startled yelp she spun around and glared at the young man who had been driving her crazy all day.  Tenchi gulped slightly as she stomped up to him, her golden eyes flashing as they bore into his.  "You didn't do anything." she half growled half purred, her face barely six inches from his own.  "Not a thing, all day."

                "So why are you mad at me?" he asked confused, unable to tear his eyes away from her almost feral gaze.

                "That's WHY I'm mad at you!" she snapped, and with that dragged the boy into a passionate, almost desperate kiss.

                Three years of deeply ingrained experience told him to run, to hide before the fighting started, the logical part of his mind that knew Ayeka wasn't there having stopped working the second Ryoko's lips had contacted his own.  Three years of personal experience warred against millions of years of instinct telling him to respond to the attentions of the lithe, beautiful female that was pressing herself against him, trying to devour him with her soft, soft lips.  In the end though, the two forces shorted each other out.

                Ryoko almost broke down crying when Tenchi gently broke the kiss without ever really responding to it.  "Why?" she choked out.  "Why can't you just love me back?" this was barely a whisper.  "You kissed me last night, why can't you now?"

                "Ryoko..." he started to respond, gathering the upset girl in a comforting hug, trying to put words to his feelings.  "I, I just can't do this right now.  When we get Ayeka back..."

                "You love her, don't you." the way she said it, it wasn't really a question.

                "I love all of you Ryoko." he leaned back slightly so he could look her in the eyes.  "All of you are my family."

                "So you see me as a sister... is that it?" she snapped, her voice wavering between an angry growl and an anguished wail.

                Tenchi couldn't stop himself from grinning slightly at this.  "I don't think I'm supposed to have the kind of thoughts about a sister that I have about you Ryoko." he responded with a slight chuckle, hugging her close again.

                Ryoko looked up at him, confusion evident on her face.  "Then why?"

                He sighed, "I don't know Ryoko."  Looking down at her tear-streaked face his heart twisted in his chest.  "Can you just give me a little more time Ryoko?  Just until this whole mess is over?"

                She sniffed, wiping away her tears "I guess I can wait a little longer," she managed to force a small smile "I've waited for this long after all."

                His face was emotionless as he finished his story, and to Ayeka's eyes he looked exhausted.  The telling had taken most of the day.  It probably wouldn't have taken nearly as long but she'd constantly had to force him to explain this or that.  She wasn't sure if she believed everything he'd told her, but she realized with a start that she'd long ago put the blaster she'd liberated from him to the side.  Biting her lip she examined him with new eyes, and she found he didn't scare her anymore.  She still didn't really trust him, but sometime during the story she'd decided to give him a chance.

                He felt drained, emotionally if not physically.  As much as he'd tried to avoid it, he found him reliving some of the worst times of his life, Ayeka's questions often making him linger on the memories longer than he'd done since they'd happened.  In a lot of ways it had felt like a confessional.  For all the pain it had made him face, he felt better.  To be cliché about it, he felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.  He'd needed to tell someone, anyone, about everything for the longest time now.

                "I assume from the fact that you've put the gun down that you believe me?" he asked with a forced grin.

                "I believe enough of what you've told me that I've decided to give you a chance."  

                "Thank you." he responded sincerely.  "So what now?  What we do next is up to you Ayeka."

                Ignoring the question for the moment Ayeka leveled a slight glare in his direction "Do you have something against addressing me by my full title Mayhem?"  The glare turned into a slight grimace as she continued, "I swear, the way you say Princess makes it sound like an insult."

                "Gomen Ayeka." his grin at her complaint was considerably more natural this time.  "That's just the Yankee in me talking."

                "Yankee?" she asked, awkwardly wrapping her mouth around the unfamiliar word.

                "An American." he elaborated, smiling slightly when her face lit up in recognition.  "We've never had much use for royalty."

                "Well," she sighed "I guess I will just have to live with being called by my first name then.  In that case then, would you at least tell me your real name to make things a bit fairer?"

                His silver-green eyes regarded her carefully for a few seconds before he responded, a warm smile gracing his features.  "Keith." 

                "Well Keith.  Getting back on the original subject, what would you suggest?"

                "You mean other then having you tell everyone that I was definitely dead and letting me live in peace?" he asked in an innocent tone, a small smirk twisting up the corner of his mouth.

                "Yes, other than that." she answered with a smirk of her own.  I believe a lot of your story, but I'm not sure about all of it yet."

                "Well if you know where there's a lie detector you'd trust to work on me we could always use that." he suggested.  

                "From what you tell me of your powers, that'd be a bit difficult to find." she noted dryly.  "However, I believe I know someone who could probably cobble something reasonably effective together." she added, shooting him an evil smile.

                He simply raised an eyebrow in response.

                The phone rang, shattering the early morning silence, and a dozen machines that Washu had hooked up to it sprang to life, ready to trace a call that might be routed twice around the world and hidden in ways that human science couldn't dream of.  What they found was a simple, untampered phone call from a pay phone roughly thirty miles away. It was enough to make a number of them to short-circuit.  Sasami was the first person to reach the phone, though by the time she'd placed the receiver against her ear half the household was hovering around the phone.

                "Moshi Moshi." Ayeka's voice called over the phone speaker, sounding surprisingly relaxed.

                "Ayeka!?!" Sasami responded happily, "Are you all right?  Did you get away?"  That man didn't hurt you did he?"

                A slight chuckle came over the speaker in response "Yes Sasami, I'm fine.  Mr. Mayhem didn't hurt me, merely scared me half to death."  A muffled voice called an apology in the background at this statement.  "As for getting away... well, not exactly, but I'm no longer being held captive anyway."

                "You mean he let you go?" Sasami asked, confusion evident in her voice.

                "Lets just say we've managed to come to an agreement for the moment."  Ayeka responded in an amused tone.  "I merely called to tell you all that I'm fine, and I'll be home in an hour or so.  I'll explain everything then, so don't worry yourself anymore, okay?"

                "Okay Ayeka, I love you."  Sasami responded sounding and feeling relived.

                "I love you too Sasami.  See you in a bit, bye."  The click of Ayeka hanging up practically echoed in the absolute silence in the room.

                Kiyone and Washu exchanged a glance as a very happy Sasami hugged an exhausted looking Tenchi.  "Well, this could be interesting." Kiyone observed with a wry grin.  Washu merely grinned back.

                Behind the relieved, if somewhat confused, group, a frown crossed Lt. Heero's face.  Spinning silently on his heel he strode from the room, followed only by Ryoko's worried gaze.

                He was nervous.  Really nervous.  If Ayeka's friends had contacted the GP or the Jurian Government, he could very well be walking into a trap.  He knew there were at least four GP cruisers within two days of the planet on a normal basis, and if they were still doing follow-up inquires into his case there could be a dozen additional patrol ships in range to assist.  The fact that Ayeka would occasionally glance over her shoulder and shoot him a truly evil smile didn't help things any either.

                "Would you quit doing that?" he growled after the twentieth odd time this happened.

                "Doing what?" she asked in an overly innocent tone, smiling at him again.

                "Trying to make me nervous.  I really don't need the help." he ground out, shooting her a dirty look.

                "Says the man who spent the most of the past couple of days scaring me half to death."  Ayeka retorted, a smirk on her face.

                He sighed and let his shoulders slump in defeat as the cab came to a stop in front of a unpaved path leading away from the road.  "This the place I take it?"

                "Yes." she answered, obviously happy to be home. 

                After paying the cab driver, they started down the path, Ayeka with a bounce in her step, obviously resisting the urge to start running.  "You can go on ahead if you want." he said with a slight smile.  "I'll catch up."

                She shot him a glare over her shoulder.  "If you think I'm going to let you out of my sight this close to home..." she began angrily.  "After all, you still owe me a new kimono to replace the one you ruined."  She added primly, plucking unconsciously at the sundress she was wearing.

                Raising his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender he interrupted "All right, all right...  I gave my word I wouldn't run off didn't I?"

                "Just hurry up Keith." she sighed, and picked up her pace.

                The little girl that came flying out of the front door when they came into view of the house had blue hair put up in pigtails that trailed almost to the ground.  She had tears in her eyes when she tackled Ayeka.  Hugging the taller girl for all she was worth.  The guilt that rose up at the sight quite honestly made him want to beat his head against a wall.  Lacking a wall close enough he settled for a heavy sigh and some mental self-abuse.

                He was so intent on the reunion taking place that he didn't really notice the rest of the group that came rushing out of the house until they had formed a comforting mob around the two sisters.  The cyan haired girl with the golden eyes he didn't see until she was right next to him with her light-sword at his throat.  Her scent was... unique.  It was close enough to the human and Jurian norm that he could distinguish the anger radiating from her in waves, but there was something extra in it that was wholly alien.

                "Um... hello." he greeted, his case of nerves returning full strength and making his voice slightly uneven.

                "Give me one reason I shouldn't slit your throat right now for making Sasami cry." she asked, her voice harsh with barely suppressed rage.

                He sighed slightly, turning his head to look her in the eyes.  "Because then I'd never get a chance to apologize... or to try and make it up to her."  

                The girl's glare softened, just a tiny bit, and trace of uncertainty joined the raw anger in her scent.  She asked her next question just as a second girl, this one with long teal hair that fell to her waist and wearing a GP uniform, minus the body armor and jacket joined their little standoff.  "Are you armed?"

                "Yes." he answered.  Deciding that honesty was definitely the best policy in this particular situation.

                "Take it all out, drop it on the ground, and back up.  Slowly." the Teal haired GP detective instructed in a tone he'd heard a hundred times before from a hundred different cops.  Reaching into his coat he pulled out the 9mm pistol he'd picked up the day before, ejected the magazine, and dropped it on the ground.  Next came the pair of thin throwing knives from a sheath strapped to the inside of his left wrist and the 8 inch combat knife from the sheath strapped to the small of his back.  Lastly the small holdout blaster hidden in his other sleeve joined the small pile at his feet with a soft thunk.

                "Sure you didn't miss anything?" the teal-haired cop asked, her tone sarcastic.

                "Just the built in stuff." he returned with a smirk.  "Any point in asking you two for your names?"

                "Ryoko." The cyan haired one answered in a flat voice, deactivating her sword after flicking it off and on rapidly, just to let him know that she could get it back at anytime, faster than he could possibly draw any of his own weapons.

                "Detective first class Kiyone Makibi." the second one answered, crouching briefly to gather his weapons after he'd backed off far enough for her peace of mind.  

                "Washu-chan" came a slightly nasal voice from behind him, startling him.  

                Twirling around to face the voice, he found himself looking at a girl who appeared to be 14 years old at the most.  Her scent sharply disagreed with that assessment though.  It was the scent of a fully mature woman.  It held no trace of fear or nervousness, and there was only the slightest trace of caution in it.  Her most notable feature though, was the absolutely massive shock of pink hair that fell to nearly to her feet.  She was looking him over with a critical, appraising eye.  He could almost feel her taking mental measurements, sizing him up.  

                Washu looked over the young man before her.  About 197 centimeters tall, he wore an old green military style jacket that hung loosely off of wide shoulders, making it easy for him to conceal things on his otherwise lean frame.  The rest of his clothing was fairly unremarkable.  A pair of jeans that had seen better days, a plain black T-shirt that was a size to big for him, and a pair of scuffed black leather workboots.  The type of clothing that wouldn't draw any second glances, or even first ones for that matter.  She was more or less certain that that was the whole point.

                She noted that he had recently shaved, and his goatee was neatly trimmed.  His hair, while not what anyone would really call long, obviously hadn't been cut in months, and the thick brown mop had already undone whatever attempts at styling he may have tried that morning.  Meeting his silver-green eyes she flashed him her best mad-scientist grin, and pointed at the tattoo that ran down the side of his neck.  "So is that real?  Or were you just trying to look tough by getting a gladiators mark tattooed on you?"

                "It's real." he answered cautiously.  But before Washu could ask any more questions he turned his attention to Ayeka and the remainder of her friends as they approached him.  Ignoring the older members of the group for the moment, he knelt so he could look the blue haired little girl, Sasami, in the face and spoke in a quiet voice.

                "I'm sorry." he began, trying to put as much sincerity into the words as he possibly could.  "I'm sorry I made you worry about your sister for so long.  I swear that I never had any intention of hurting her, and I was always going to let her go eventually."

                "But why'd you take her in the first place?" Sasami asked, her tone questioning, and slightly angry.  Her ruby colored eyes, still streaked with tears, still managed to fix him with an impressive glare.

                He sighed heavily, his shoulders sagging.  "Because I was scared."

                "Scared?" the little girl asked, taking a step closer to him, the glare fading slightly, curiosity evident in her voice.

                "Scared that I would get caught by the GP or the Jurian military and get taken away after I'd finally made it home... before I could see my family again."

                "You're from Earth?" she asked, her expressive eyes searching his face for any signs of deceit.

                "America." he answered with a slight smile.  "I didn't even know who she was when I grabbed her really.  I knew she was a Jurian... and I just wanted to find out why she was tracking me.  When she told me who she was, I guess I just panicked a bit."

                "Why?" the little princess asked, her huge ruby eyes curious.

                "Because your Dad's already mad enough at me, I didn't want to make things any worse." he answered with a small grin.  "Plus there's what your mom would do to me." he added with a wink.  "She can be pretty scary lady when she's mad."

                This got a small smile out of the young Jurian

                "Is there any way I can get you to ever forgive me?" he asked softly.

                "You did lots more than just kidnap Ayeka...." Sasami's voice trailed off, and the smile faded.

                "I know." he answered sadly.

                "C'mon everybody, lets get inside." Tenchi interrupted, giving him a curious look.  "Ayeka and our new guest can explain everything in there."

End Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4 : Storytime & Interruptions

David K Mayhew David K Mayhew 2 6 2001-11-01T07:50:00Z 2001-11-01T07:50:00Z 16 7734 44088 Mayhem & Chaos inc 367 88 54143 9.2720 

Disclaimer - Tenchi and the crew are unfortunately not my property.  I had no part in creating them, though I am desperately trying to figure out how to give myself Ryoko's abilities.  I am not writing this for the purpose of making money, though if any kind souls see fit to give donations I will not complain.  I am writing merely because I'm an obsessive person in general and I really need to get it out of my system.  Mayhem is my creation however, and anyone using him without my OK will anger the Great Shaven Cat Goddess and cause her to sic her elite pack of Killer Llamas on you.  Criticism is welcome, flames are ignored, praise will inflate my ego greatly, and make sure I actually finish this one-day.  Enjoy.

Many thanks to my talented editor, and fellow fanfic author, for his help in making this readable.  THANK YOU DREZ!!!!

Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes

Chapter 4

Storytime & Interruptions 

                It was a beautiful day by almost anyone's standards.  The sun was shining, there were only a few small, scattered, cottony, clouds in the sky, the birds were singing and all that other fun happy stuff humans generally associate with a nice day was going on.  Which in of itself was kind of unusual considering the fact that this nice day was going on around the Masaki shrine.  Usually by this time of day all the birds had been scared away by the sound of explosions and other assorted violence, and the air would already smell of ozone and burnt vegetation.  The reason for this relative quiet can be found in the living room, and is extremely nervous.

                Mayhem had settled himself on one of the living rooms comfortable array of seats while the group waited for Washu to fish out the equipment she needed from her lab.  Ryoko stood behind him, her arms crossed in front of her, her body language tense and alert.  Ayeka had chosen to take one of the seats nearest to him, acting as a barrier between him and the rest of the group.  He shot her a small,  thankful smile for this, which she replied to with a slight smirk and a barely noticeable nod of acknowledgment.

                The place beside Ayeka was taken by Sasami, who leaned against her Sister, obviously trying not to nod off as they waited for Washu to get her equipment together.  Guilt twisted his heart in his chest once again at the sight of the exhausted child.  The odd little half-cat half-rabbit creature that he'd vaguely noticed following the group before rested in the little girls lap, nuzzling up against her.  On the other side of Sasami the boy, Tenchi, if he remembered the name correctly, sat eyeing him with obvious curiosity.  

                Kiyone sat across from him. Idly playing with her sidearm and occasionally shooting him a stern, warning, glare.  Beside her, the second GP officer just sat staring at him, her face scrunched up in thought, looking slightly confused.  Finally she stopped chewing on her lip and asked him a question, raising her had to get his attention.  "Umm... Do you want a snack or something Mr. Mayhem?" she asked, her voice friendly.

                "A snack?" he asked, genuinely surprised.  The rest of the people in the room merely settled for groaning softly or rolling their eyes at Mihoshi's question.  Kiyone stopped playing with her gun to rub her temples in an attempt to ward of the migraine she could feel starting to form.

                "Well yeah!" she responded brightly "I mean, you must think we're the rudest people in the whole universe at this point, the way everyone is acting!" 

                He couldn't help it, he really couldn't, all the guilt, all the tension of the past few days, and the absurdity of Mihoshi's statement did him in.  He started laughing, and kept on laughing until his stomach muscles were aching and he was on the floor.  All the tension in the room seemed to disappear all at once as the confused group watched one of the most feared criminals in the galaxy roll helplessly on the floor, trying desperately to catch his breath and regain a semblance of control.  Ayeka knelt beside him and asked him if he was all right, which only succeeded in setting off a new round of giggles.

                "Well he's lost it." Ryoko commented snidely, though he could hear a slight chuckle in her voice when she said it.  

                Ignoring the comment for the moment, he pushed himself into a sitting position and with considerable effort brought himself back under control.  "Actually, I could use a snack Miss..."  He raised an eyebrow in question, giving the blonde young woman a broad smile.

                "Mihoshi!" she answered returning his smile.  "I'll be right back." she said cheerily and stood up to get something from the kitchen. 

                "Oh, Mihoshi, one other thing..."

                "Yes Mr. Mayhem?" she asked turning around to look at him, her expression curious, but still cheerful.

                "Thank you."  He said, smiling gratefully.

                "Your welcome!"  and with that she bounced off to the kitchen, humming absently to herself.

                Hoisting himself back onto his seat he gave the watching group an embarrassed grin.  "Sorry, didn't mean to go nuts on you just then... but I really needed that.  It's been a tense few weeks for me.  Even if I ignore what's happened over the past three days or so."

                "If the police reports I've read are even halfway accurate, I believe it."  Washu remarked as she entered the room, hauling a cart piled high with vaguely sinister looking machinery.  "Now if you'll hold still while I set everything up."  With that she started plugging things in, taping sensors to various parts of his body... and to top things off, an oversized, light and sensor studded, helmet that looked like it came straight out of an old B-movie.  "If this light turns red your lying, if it turns yellow your telling us the truth but leaving something out, if it stays green your telling the truth."  She explained briefly, pointing at an oversized light above one readout screen.

                "Umm... is all this really necessary?" he asked nervously as she finished hooking everything up and Mihoshi rejoined the group.  She placed a tray of snacks on the table before plopping back into her seat to watch, munching happily on a cookie.

                "Unless you really want to wait a day or so for me to make a refined version of the machine..." Washu let her voice trail off, an amused smirk on her face.

                "Ummm... so what's next then?" he answered quickly, absently grabbing a cookie from the tray.

                "Why don't you just tell them what you've told me Keith."  Ayeka suggested softly, ignoring the looks the rest of the group gave her when she called him by his previously unknown first name.  "Or at least an edited version." she amended upon noticing the pained look he gave her at the suggestion.

                Settling back into his chair with a sigh he began his story. "Well, I was on a cross country trip to visit my grandparents..."

                It was freezing out under the starlit desert night, and he was cursing his rotten luck that his car had decided to die a good ten miles from anywhere.  Of course just about every place in New Mexico was a miles from anywhere.  He probably would have been more surprised if the van had broken down in town or even near a house.  It was his own fault for trying to get the last hundred miles to his Grandparents place out of the way that night, but still.  

                "Well at least I had my hiking pack with me."  He muttered under his breath as he readjusted said pack to a more comfortable position.  Of course, as comforting as it's presence was, the packs weight was still more than enough to slow him down.

                That's why the lights he saw on the horizon an hour after he'd left were extremely encouraging.  Right up to the point the got close enough for him to tell that they were a good dozen meters off the surface of the road.  It was enough to give him a really bad feeling in the pit of his stomach and bringing to mind years of  UFO specials on TV.  The fact that it, whatever it was, was completely silent didn't help.  He found himself suddenly glad that he'd emptied his bladder just a few minutes before, otherwise he may very well have pissed his pants then and there.  

                The beam of white light that engulfed him a few seconds later really just confirmed his fears.  He had just enough time to let out a shocked "Crap." before he lost consciousness.

                "You were kidnapped?" Mihoshi exclaimed, surprised.  "How awful!"  Kiyone rolled her eyes at her partners question, trying to figure out how she managed to miss the irony of the statement.

                "Abducted."  he corrected with a pained smile.  "I don't think they were specifically going after me."

                "Please, continue Keith."  Tenchi encouraged.

                "Well anyway..." 

                When Keith woke up he had a migraine that made his head feel like it was going to cave in.  That and the slowly fading numbness he felt every place else were the only things he could really notice for a while.  The next thing he noticed was the background noise.  Keith could hear hushed voices that could have come from any human mouth mixing with whistles, growls, hoots, and a dozen other noises he couldn't relate to anything he'd ever heard before.  The next sense that returned to him was his sense of smell.  Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you looked at it, all Keith could smell was himself and the heavily recycled air of wherever he was.  His sense of touch returned to him shortly after as the last of the numbness faded.  It was cold, not unbearably so, but enough to notice, and he was lying one a hard surface made of what felt like wood.  All and all it wasn't terribly pleasant.

                It took him a good 15 minutes or more after that before Keith could even open his eyes.  The scene that greeted him when he did though wasn't anything like what he'd expected.  He found himself in a dimly lit cell... bare except for what must have been a toilet, a sink,  and the tiny cubbyhole he was resting in.  The presence of his pack in one corner just confused him.  _"Why the hell did the leave me my pack... I'm mean they took the time to take it off me, why'd they leave it in the cell with me?"  _He muttered to himself, pleased to find that he could at least talk.__

                "Actually they didn't do anything but dump you in the cell." came a soft, slightly throaty voice from above.  A second later a pair of rather well formed legs swung into view from above.  "I'm the one who took your pack off and put you there."  With that the person hopped down from their perch.

                The young looking girl that jumped down was slightly shorter than him despite the fact that she stood on her toes, her feet seemingly a cross between a humans and a cats.  She was covered in a thin, extremely fine layer of tawny fur that did nothing to conceal the sleek form and toned muscles underneath it.  Her ears were in the right place, give or take a few centimeters, but they were longer, with pointed ends standing well away from her head and ending in tufts of pure black fur that matched the mane that tumbled from her head to about halfway down her back.  A long tail swayed lazily behind the cat-girl, a black tuft of fur at its end matching the ones on her ears.  Her slit-pupiled eyes flashed silver in the dim light and she gave him a grin that displayed a fairly impressive set of fangs.  Her clothes were rather simple, a pair of shorts modified to give her tail freedom of movement and a white tank top that left her stomach bare.  Keith absently noted that she did have a belly button.

                "Hey, no need to stare, you look pretty odd to me too Hun." the cat-girl said after a bit, obviously a bit amused at his reaction.

                Keith furrowed his brow and listened closely as she spoke.  "Your not speaking English are you?" despite how he phrased it, it wasn't really a question.

                The girl shrugged, the gesture doing interesting things to her suddenly all-to-human form.  "And your not speaking Tahklatian." she replied glibly.  She parted her hair to reveal a small scar just behind her ear.  "Everybody here has one, I think they implanted a translation device of some sort when they snatched each of us."  

                Keith felt behind his ear and rubbed at the new scar, even that small movement was a real effort.  "Why?" he asked quietly.  "I mean why did they take us, why did they do any of this?  Whoever they are."

                "I don't know." the girl admitted with a shrug, taking a seat on the edge of his, for lack of a better word, bed.  "I actually got her at the same time you did, more or less.  You've been unconscious for 5 of this places days."

                "Five days?" he asked, surprised.  

                "Yep." she confirmed, "How are you feeling anyway?  You haven't moved more than an inch since you woke up."

                "Like someone's been using me as a punching bag for all of those five days." he responded with a slight groan.  "So, what's your name anyway?"  he asked after a quick, completely ineffective attempt at sitting up.

                "My Clan name is Talia." she answered.  "My truename is knowledge you'll have to earn.  You?"

                He raised an eyebrow at this but shot her a quick grin as he answered.  "Well, my friends all call me Mayhem.  I'll tell you my real name when you tell me your truename."

                She gave him a wry grin before giggling slightly.  "Fair enough _Mayhem_."

                "It took me a week or so before I was back on my feet."  Keith explained, "So I didn't meet any of the other residents of the ship for a bit.  I just learned what Talia did.  She'd bring me food from the mess hall and tell me what she'd learned during that day." he said, a small, wistful smile on his face.

                "So did you ever find out who kidnapped you?"  Mihoshi asked, her eyes wide.

                "That was the easy part actually.  They didn't really try and hide it."  He met Mihoshi's wide blue eyes as he answered.  "Slave Traders."  Mihoshi and Sasami both gasped.  Kiyone's face got hard, a tight-lipped frown marring her normally lovely features.  Washu just nodded slightly, though Keith could smell a wave of anger radiate from her at the revelation.  Ryoko and Tenchi exchanged a brief glimpse, their expressions surprised.  Ayeka, who had heard this before, reached over and gave his hand a brief, encouraging squeeze.

                "Well anyway, from what we gathered from the other prisoners what they'd do is grab individuals from pre-star travel worlds and sell them to whoever was willing to pay the price they asked."  He scowled briefly before adding "Apparently it was considered a mark of high status in certain circles."

                "Did you ever find out why you got so sick that first week or so?"  Tenchi asked, a small frown on his face despite the curious note in his voice.

                "Errr..." Mayhem rubbed the back of his head nervously as he thought about how to answer the question.  "Have any of you seen any security footage of me fighting?"

                Washu, Kiyone, Tenchi, and Ryoko nodded almost in union to indicate that they had, the rest of the group just got blank looks on their faces.

                "Well, those of you who have may have noticed that I'm a bit faster and stronger than the human norm."  

                "That's one way of putting it."  Washu commented with a smirk.  "No normal human should be capable of half the stuff you did in the fights I saw, but then again your not exactly a normal human are you?"

                "Well..."

                For the past three weeks the routine had been almost mind-numbingly unchanged.  Twice a day for about an hour at a time they were herded out of their cell by an imposing guard that towered over him by a good two feet.  If that had been all, he might have considered making a break for it.  However, as imposing as the guard was, the gun he carried was even more so.  Add that to the fairly obvious remote weapons mounted at intervals along the corridor ceiling... and both he and Talia agreed that cooperation would be the wisest course of action.

                After leaving the cell they would be taken to the mess hall.  A large room filled to the brim with narrow metal tables with narrower metal benches... all bolted securely to the floor of course.  The walls were bare hull plating, with one large window looking out into space on one side.  This wasn't there to keep the prisoners happy.   Instead the fact that it was obviously designed to open served as an implied threat about what might happen if they got out of hand.

                As best they could tell groups of prisoners with similar physical needs would be brought in at regular intervals and were given a half hour to eat.  (He was pretty sure that the group before theirs breathed an entirely different atmosphere because the room always smelled slightly of sulfur for the first ten minutes or so of their time there.)  The other prisoners ranged widely in shape and form.  There were three or four that could have passed for humans if you didn't look too closely.   Others were actually rather like Talia, their basic physiology more or less humanoid, but with traits that were far from human. One individual looked like a centaur straight out of a Greek myth... so long as you ignored the fact that his facial features were proportioned wrong.  The rest... were alien enough that he really didn't have anything specific to compare them to.                  

                One in particular stood out among them though.  It was about as tall as he was but considerably more massive.  He was pretty sure it qualified as a vertebrate, but the chintinous plates and spines that studded it's skin hid most of the details of it's anatomy.  Even it's arms were hidden most of the time.  All three of them would blend in with the rest of the creature's body to the point that they were practically invisible when It wasn't making use of them.  The end result was that it looked like little more than a three-legged ball of black spines.  If that had been all Keith probably wouldn't have paid much attention to the odd creature, as it came from an extremely primitive world, and really didn't have much to offer to the conversations.  It never even bothered to give a name or planet of origin.  The reason it stood out so much was it's behavior.  

                For the first few days it simply hid in the darkest corner it could find and watched the room.  After that it started focusing in on some of the smaller prisoners, nine tiny red eyes peering out from among the spines.  Finally after about the tenth day after Keith first started going to the mess hall, it happened.  One of the smallest prisoners, a tiny, fox-like humanoid named Fanrel that had managed to endear herself to a number of the other people in their group got to close.  It moved almost to fast for him too see, one black clawed hand snaking out to grab the tiny girl by one of her legs.  He heard a snap as her leg broke and pale pink blood stained her clothing as it's claws bit deeply.

                He was moving before he even realized it.  Several of the other prisoners close behind him.  He didn't even feel the change, despite the fact that it was radical enough to pop every button off his flannel shirt and shred the sleeves.  The furred, clawed hand that took the Things arm off at the halfway point didn't phase him, as he was too busy getting Fanrel as far away from It as he could.  It's high pitched wailing and the stomach-wrenching smell that accompanied the thick black ichor that dripped from it's severed limb were bad enough that he didn't notice anything had happened to him even after he got the small being away from it.

                "Why did you steal my prey from me Demon!"  The thing shrieked, it's high pitched, clicking manner of speech grating even after being translated into something he could understand.

                "Your ""Prey"" is a sentient being!"  Talia growled from beside him, answering for him while he busied himself in removing the severed limb from Fanrel's leg and treating the wounds as best he could, while trying not to throw up from both the smell of the ichor and the sight of the small beings wounds.

                "It is not of my people!  It is rightfully prey!" the Thing screeched back.  "If it is not strong enough to defend itself it is for whatever can catch it to consume!"

                Talia was practically shaking with rage.  "You so much as touch any other person in this room and I swear to the Mother I will rip you in half and use your sorry carcass as a toilet."  She hissed, her claws extended.

                It hissed back and spread it's spines, it's two uninjured arms coming into full view, the central one displaying an oversized, blade-like spine, as it took a few skittering steps in her direction.  The only thing that stopped it from turning into a to-the-death fight was the hiss of gas being pumped into the room.  The entire group was unconscious in a matter of seconds.

                "When I woke up back in my cell later on I hadn't reverted to my normal form yet."  He shot the group a broad smile, showing off a set of fangs that would have looked perfectly at home on a lion.  A set of fangs that hadn't been present the last time he opened his mouth.  Mihoshi yelped and fell off of her seat, Sasami gasped quietly, but the demonstration only warranted raised eyebrows from the rest of the group.

                "Well that explains why that one guy screamed so loud in the security footage." Washu remarked dryly.  Keith blushed red at the comment.

                "You mentioned fur."  Tenchi observed.  "Exactly how extensive is the change?"

                "Well I have fairly complete control of it at this point, so I usually don't go much beyond fangs and claws."  He began, "The complete change though... well, any of you know what a _werewolf_ is?"

                "Like in those Earth horror movies?"  Ryoko asked.

                "Something like that."  He said with a grin, the fangs gone again.  "I stay humaniod, but my arms get a bit longer, my legs a bit shorter, gain a tail, my face gets a bit more animalistic, claws, fangs, fur, ect..."  He paused for a few seconds before continuing.  "Most of that's really just cosmetic stuff though.  The real changes are internal, and a lot of them are more or less full-time, permanent changes."

                "Well that explains the unusually dense musculature, the modified structure of your bone tissue, and the higher than average metabolism."  Washu remarked.  "What?" she exclaimed indignantly at the looks the group gave her.  "Did you really think that all of this was for something as simple as a lie detector?"  She said, gesturing at the cart of equipment.

                "So anyway..." Mayhem said, giving the diminutive scientist a nervous glance.

                It took him the better part of a day to figure out how to change back to his normal form.  And even then he noticed that there were a few details out of place.  His canines, while not quite fangs, were more pronounced than before and sharper.  His hair was noticeably thicker than it had been... a fact he was actually elated about.  But the most obvious thing, to him anyway, was the silver sheen his formerly green-gray eyes had taken on.

                The next two weeks were uneventful.  Every few days a new being would be added to the group in the mess hall, but things were relatively quiet.  The Creature that had attacked Fanrel never showed up again, and the little being herself was reintroduced only a few days later, her leg in a cast but otherwise fine.

                The only thing that really broke the monotony of being there was the companionship of his cell-mate.  She was from a world at about the same stage of development as Earth.  Perhaps a bit more advanced, but not by all that much.  She was intelligent, quick witted, friendly, cute... and fast asleep.

                Keith sighed slightly as he watched her sleep.  Her world had a much shorter day than Earth's, and it was taking a lot of time for her to readjust to the ships day/night cycle.  He'd gotten used to the twenty six and a half hour day after the first week of so, but Talia would occasionally just crash completely.  Like now.  When that happened it got ridiculously dull in the bare cell.  He'd already re-read the books he'd had in his pack several times now, and the batteries on his gameboy were long since dead.  So here he was, sitting quietly against the far wall watching Talia sleep, curled up in his sleeping bag, her delicate features serene.

                It was actually not a bad way to pass the time he admitted to himself.  But it still left him too much time to think.  He knew his family must have been going nuts by now.  His Mother was not the most level headed person at the best of times, she must have been going out of her head by now.  His Father was too much like him to go entirely to pieces, but however gruff the man may have been at times, he loved his family dearly and it must have been tearing him up inside.  His sister...  

                Keith shook his head angrily, squeezing his eyes shut against the tears he could feel forming.  To distract himself he started running through a few exercises he and Talia had worked out to help him learn how to control his shape-shifting abilities.  Concentrating on his fingertips he willed them to changed.  The feeling of bone changing shape underneath the skin was weird, but it didn't hurt, just tingled slightly.  As it changed shaped, the nail grew around it, pushing back the soft skin and giving the curved, pointed, bone underneath it a razor sharp cutting edge.  That done he willed them back to their normal shape.  He did this over and over again, each time trying to do it a bit faster.  He'd vary their shape each time as well.  Making them shorter, longer, straight, curved.  He became so absorbed in the activity that he didn't notice Talia wake up.

                "Aww, no fur this time?" the cat-girl asked with an exaggerated pout.

                "Not this time." He replied, sticking his tongue out at her jokingly.  "I personally think I'm shaggy enough as it is."  He emphasized it by rubbing the ragged growth of beard on his cheeks.  "Besides, one furball per cell is enough."  He added the second comment with a wink and a broad smile.

                "I may be furry, but I'm hardly a ball."  She retorted with a wicked grin, stretching languorously on the bed to emphasize her point.

                He wolf-whistled, only half jokingly, in response.  "So Talia, pleasant dreams?"

                Talia's face fell slightly, her smile becoming slightly sad, but before she could answer the door of the cell slid open with a hiss, two of the imposing armored guards regarding the two with cold stares.  Keith and Talia exchanged confused looks; it was still a good two hours till they were due in the mess hall.

                One of the guards spoke, his voice distorted by the helmet he wore.  "You're coming with us.  Now."

                Keith could remember a time when he'd enjoyed auctions.  Admittedly he'd almost never bought anything at the ones he'd attended, but seeing what people were willing to spend their money on and for what reason was always interesting.  People would spend ridiculous sums of money on useless items if they were being sold for the right cause.  Or if they felt the item was a sign of status.  Some of the weirdest things were considered a sign of status.  

                For some reason though, Keith was finding it very hard to take an interest in this particular auction.  At least not the kind of interest he usually took.  It might have had something to do with what was being auctioned off.

                "This fine specimen we captured on a primitive world called Earth."  The auctioneer was a fat, jovial looking man.  His deep purple hair was slicked back.  Oily with whatever he used to style it.  He was dressed in garish clothing that Keith assumed was expensive, if tasteless.  If it hadn't been for the chains securing his hands and feet in place he probably would have kicked the man.  As it was he settled for giving the crowd the most psychotic, I'm going to kill you all, type of grin he could manage, displaying the fangs he'd grown just for the purpose.

                "When we originally picked him up we didn't expect much honestly."  The auctioneer continued, giving his audience a conspiratorial wink.  "A house-servant perhaps, maybe just a pet."  The rotund man gave an exaggerated shrug when he said it, but his grin just got wider as he continued in a conspiratorial tone.  "But instead we found something rather interesting buried in his genetic makeup.  It was completely dormant, but we were curious, so our wonderful doctors did some tinkering to change that."

                Mayhem snapped his head around sharply to glare balefully at the auctioneer, an involuntary growl starting deep in his throat.  Now _this_... _this _was interesting, if more than a bit nerve-wracking.  The auctioneer brought up a small device, pointing it dramatically at Keith as the lights were dimmed and a low spotlight was focused on each of them.

                "And what they found..." the auctioneer paused dramatically, "was this."  With that the rotund man pressed a button on the device.  An arc of blue energy struck the tightly-bound Keith full in the chest, making his hair stand on end, and sent pain streaking through his body as the energy coursed across his form.  Keith's initial scream turned into an anguished howl as his body changed, and his instincts took over.  

                Straining against the chains that held him, Keith's form seemed to ripple as blood vessels formed and expanded within muscle tissue, the muscles bulging underneath his clothing.  A second ripple passed over his form as a thick brown and black pelt grew in, his hair darkening to a midnight black, the hair on his lower arms and legs following suit.  His face seemed to stretch, his jaws lengthening and his teeth changing to fangs.  His ears seemed to slip upward and reform, becoming purely canine.  And lastly his feet stretched and his ankle almost disappeared, forcing him to stand on his toes, and popping his feet out of his boots with an audible snap as the laces broke.  

                Gesturing to Mayhem's feral form with a sweep of his arm, the auctioneer smiled hugely at his shocked audience.  "Now, for this potential gladiator we'll start the bidding at a mere 2 million Jurai."

                "Let me guess," Kiyone interrupted, "you were bought by Duke Satoshima, right?"

                "Huh?" Keith blinked, trying to gather his thoughts.  "Oh, no, not at that point anyway."

                "Then who did they sell you to?" Tenchi asked, his voice curious.

                "A middleman,"  Ryoko cut in, her voice dripping with disgust "A trainer of some sort probably."

                "And the lovely lady gets it in one." Keith said, shooting Ryoko a small grin.  

                "Most of the people who could afford to buy a gladiator slave, and afford to keep one, generally thought themselves above dealing with slavers."  Keith explained.  "So instead, a trainer would buy potential gladiators and train them before selling them to the people who would actually have them compete.  Besides, a gladiator is a big investment, what with all the pay-offs and such, no point in buying one that'll get killed first time out."

                "Well that makes sense I guess."  Kiyone commented with a grimace of distaste, remembering some of the encounters she'd had with slavers in the past.  "You wouldn't happen to know the location of the training center, would you May... err... Keith?"

                "Ummm... actually, it doesn't exist anymore."  Keith responded, scratching the back of his head nervously.  He shuffled his feet a bit at the curious silence that followed, looking down at the ground as he tried to avoid the group's collective gaze.

                "What happened to it?"  Sasami asked, cutting in before anyone else could ask.

                "I burnt it to the ground."  Keith responded, his voice low and dangerous as he glared at something unseen.  A handful of seconds later he shook his head as if to clear it.  "Sorry, bad memories." he spoke quietly into the silence.

                "Anyway, you said the genetic coding for your new abilities was already present?"  Washu interrupted, breaking the tense silence.

                "So they said." Keith answered with a shrug.  "I haven't had much opportunity to confirm it, but whichever ancestor gave me the genes may very well be the source of the whole werewolf legend in the first place.  Or at least one of the sources anyway."  

                "Fascinating."  Washu murmured softly.  "Would you mind if I took some samples later?"  The diminutive scientist asked in her cutest voice, trying hard to look innocent.

                "What kind of samples did you have in mind Washu-chan?"  Keith replied, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, an exaggerated, wolfish, grin on his face.

                "Why Mr. Mayhem!"  Washu replied, clasping her hands together and doing her best innocent little girl act, "Whatever could you be implying?"  

                "Ahem!"  Ayeka interrupted before Keith could answer Washu's question, fixing them both with disapproving glares.  "You two can flirt later.  Right now there are more important things to discuss."

                "Sorry Princess Ayeka."  Keith responded in a singsong voice.

                "Spoilsport."  Washu added.

                "Anyway... where was I again?"  Keith asked.

                "The gladiator training camp!"  Mihoshi answered cheerily, reaching for another cookie from the table.  "It's too bad Heero isn't here.  I bet he'd be really interested in this story."

                "H-Heero?"  Keith stuttered, the color draining from his face.

                The ash-gray galaxy police cruiser orbited high above the surface of the Earth, all but dead in space.  Aside from it's highly unusual coloring, it's owner had heavily modified the cruiser for his own purposes.  It's primary power source was built from blueprints smuggled at a high cost from the Galactic Science academy.  It's weapons array included devices that had been banned by nearly every sentient race in the galaxy, and it's shields were better than anything short of a Jurian warship's light hawk wings.

                In this nearly silent ship a handsome figure contemplated his next move.  Elegant hands were steepled in front of him as he listened to a conversation happening several hundred kilometers below his ship on the planets surface.  A thin bitter smile marred his almost beautiful features as he listened to the voice of his quarry.  

                "_H-Heero_?"  Mayhem's shocked exclamation came over the speakers. 

                "I do believe that is my que."  Heero said in an amused tone, a broad smile on his face.  "Soon.  Soon my Lord will be avenged.  Soon the mongrel wolf will be dead, and I will be free."  Heero whispered, his voice suddenly harsh.  Leaning forward slightly, he let one elegant hand moving to almost casually brush across a control panel.  "It is a pity about the princesses though."

                Outside, two black spheres fell away from the hull of the ashen cruiser and into the atmosphere of the blue planet below.

                "This Heero..."  Keith started, stuttering slightly, "...about 8 cm taller than me?  Long blond hair?  Blue eyes?  Annoyingly good-looking?"

                "That's him!" Mihoshi answered cheerily.  

                "Oh shi..." Keith started to say.

                The spheres impacted almost simultaneously, one hitting the lake with a resounding splash and consequently destroying the deck, the other taking out the storage shed and the past weeks harvest.  

                "What the hell was thAHHHHHHH!!!!!"  Ryoko's startled outburst quickly degenerated into an anguished scream, which was joined by the pained exclamations of the rest of the group as the air was filled with a skull-splitting electronic shriek.  

                Rolling on the floor in pain Washu barely managed to send a quick set of mental instructions to Ryoko, who quickly let off a barrage of plasma blasts through the wall, blowing the closer of the two spheres to hell.

                Staggering to her feet Washu shook her head violently trying to clear it, but merely succeeded in aggravating her already massive headache.  With a practiced mental command she activated her remote terminal.  Or at least tried to.  "Kuso."  She cursed when she realized that their attacker had also managed to put up a dimensional jammer of some sort, blocking her access to her equipment.  She continued cursing in that vein for several seconds longer and in a good dozen languages when she realized that she couldn't hear anything either.

                Keith could feel blood trickling out of his ears, but his hearing was already starting to return as his healing reflexes kicked in, mending his ruptured eardrums almost instantly.  Looking around he could tell that the rest of the group wasn't as lucky.  Ayeka, Sasami, and Kiyone hadn't been affected as badly as had been, or at least there was no blood coming from their ears, though all three of them were still on the ground.  Sasami was obviously unconscious, passed out from shock.  Mihoshi had blood streaming from her ears but had managed to get to her feet despite the massive amount of pain she was obviously in, similarly Washu was on her feet, but he could see the signs of shock starting to set in even from across the room as she staggered, her face almost shockingly pale.  Ryoko had blood trickling from her ears as well, but was fully alert and wasn't displaying anything more than slight signs of being in pain.  Tenchi staggered to his feet even as Keith watched, three glowing triangles flaring to life on his forehead even as he did so.  

                Almost inadvertently catching each other's eyes, Tenchi and Ryoko realized the same thing at almost the exact same time.  "Mayuka!" their twin shouts made Keith wince, his ears still sensitive.  

                "I'll get her!"  Ryoko shouted ineffectively, disappearing from view as she teleported out of the room.

                 The first volley of weapons fire struck an instant later.

                Ryoko was still disoriented when she phased into view beside Mayuka's crib, stumbling slightly as she scooped the screaming infant into her arms.  Hugging Mayuka to her chest, she unconsciously projected the whole of her defensive shields around the tiny girl just as the room around them was burnt to ash by the first few blasts of weapons fire.  Ryoko fared little better then the room as the intense heat caused her dress and hair to burst into flames and nearly seared her skin off.  Screaming in pain, Ryoko tried frantically to teleport while keeping the fields that were protecting the helpless child in her arms intact.

                Desperately picturing Tenchi in her mind she forced herself to concentrate despite the pain. She could feel Tenchi's power flaring not ten meters away.  All she had to do was get back to him and they'd both be safe.

                The bolt hit her hunched form just below her right shoulder blade.  Burning it's way through her abdomen before exiting briefly through her stomach and continuing on, taking her left leg off just inches below the hip.  Water in the tissues around the wound flashed to vapor instantly.  The resulting hydrostatic shock destroyed internal organs and shattered bone.  With one final incredible act of will Ryoko teleported again.

                Tenchi grimaced slightly as he concentrated on keeping his light hawk wings spread far enough to cover everyone in the room as the first volley demolished the house around him.  Out of the corner of his eye he could see Keith looking at him, surprise evident on his features.  When he heard the by now familiar sound of Ryoko teleporting in and the scared, angry squalling of his daughter he let out a breath he hadn't been aware he had been holding, but forced himself to concentrate on keep up the shield.

                Washu's scream of horror almost broke that concentration.  With a muttered curse Tenchi twisted his head to see what had caused the diminutive scientist's outburst.  The sight that met his eyes...

                Keith watched awestruck as the shield Tenchi was creating flared, highlighting the young man's features, twisted into a gruesome mask of anguish and rage, with almost blinding white light.  With an anguished scream Tenchi, pulled one of the three wings from it's place in the shield, struggling briefly to maintain the shield with only two wings, and threw it.

                The Wing shot upwards faster than Keith could track, the incoming stream of weapons fire parting and dissipating around it.  

                Heero's eyes widened as every early warning system in his ship came alive, the cabin turning red and the scream of alarms threatening to split his skull.  On little more than instinct, he wrenched the controls to one side and slammed the throttles as far forward as they'd go.

                It saved him... barely.  The shining wing struck his port engine.  Tearing through his defensive screens and armor like they were nothing more than tissue paper.  It demolished the engine, and every system near it without ever slowing down, and passed out the back of the ship in a geyser of flame and debris.

                "What in the name of Tsunami was that?"  Heero cursed even as his hands flew over the controls, jettisoning the damaged sections of his ship seconds before they exploded.  Quickly realizing that his ship wouldn't survive another hit like that Heero brought the ship around, and ran.

                "Ryoko!!!"  Tenchi half screamed half sobbed as he kneeled beside the mangled form of the former space pirate.

                "Don't touch her!"  Washu shouted through her own tears as Tenchi began to reach for Ryoko's form.  "Don't move her." she sobbed.

                "Is she alive?" Tenchi asked, his voice soft and his face white.

                "Yes... for the moment."  Washu answered faintly, reading the young prince's lips, her face drawn and pale.  "I can't access my lab."  The diminutive scientist sagged obviously struggling to stay conscious.  Neither she nor Tenchi noticed when Mihoshi scooped up the still crying Mayuka and cradled the child to her chest, her blue eyes wet with barely suppressed tears.

                "Why not?" Tenchi asked, his voice desperate, as he grabbed Washu's shoulders, shaking her.

                "Something's interfering!" she cried back at him.  "And I can't..." her voice trailed of with a sob.

                Keith watched them, feeling helpless.  Turning away from the scene before him he set to work on helping the rest of the group.  Mihoshi, tears trickling from her eyes against her will, was curled up in one of the intact chairs, murmuring softly to the infant in her arms. Kiyone had forced herself into a sitting position but obviously wasn't going to be moving anytime soon.  Ayeka was awake and had pulled her still unconscious sister into her lap.

                "There was a splash." Kiyone murmured, her head between her knees.  Unsteadily looking up at him she elaborated.  "Ryoko got the sonic weapon that hit near the shed, but whatever landed in the lake might be what's causing the interference."

                Keith sprinted towards the lake, ignoring the heat from the burnt ground as it soaked through the soles of his boots.  Skidding to a halt beside the lakes edge, he hissed slightly as one of his feet slid momentarily into the scalding hot water before he could stop.  

                "Where is it... c'mon c'mon where the goddamned hell is it!" he shouted in english as he scanned the frothing surface of the lake for something, anything that might be causing the interference.  "I'm not letting you kill anyone else going after me you bastard." he muttered under his breath, the image of Heero's smirking face flashing briefly in his mind.

                There!  A glow, maybe 6 meters from shore.  He pulled out the 9mm Kiyone had returned to him and slapped in a clip of the "special" ammunition he'd put together for hard targets.  

                **CRACK!!!** First round missed, forgot to compensate for the refraction of the water.  Dammit!

**                CRACK!!! **Second round was dead on target, but bounced off the metal shell with a dull clang he could hear through the water.  To much water in the way.  SHIT!

                **CRACK CRACK CRACK!!!  **Three more dull clangs as the rounds ricocheted off the objects metal skin.  Fuck!!!

                One option left.  Backing up a few meters Keith performed a long running dive into the lake, eyes shut tight against the painfully hot water.  Kicking hard he propelled himself down.  His fingers brushed smooth metal, even hotter than the water, it practically burnt the skin from his fingertips.  This close he could hear a low thrum emanating from the object.

                Quickly placing the barrel of the gun against the objects surface, eyes still shut tightly against the burning hot water, he pulled the trigger again four times as fast as he could manage.

                **CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACK!!!  **He could hear the rounds punching through the metal skin of the object that time.  The thrum died.  Pushing off the lake bottom he shot towards the surface.

                Washu's ethereal computer flickered to life between her and Tenchi, and the tiny scientist was typing the second it appeared.  Less than five seconds later Ryoko's form was encased in a pale green bubble of energy... and Washu finally stopped forcing herself to stay conscious and passed out.

                Katsuhito arrived less than a minute later, two slightly charred guardians in tow.

                "Tenchi!" He yelled, skidding to a halt in the remains of the living room.  "Is everyone all right?"

                Tenchi just looked from his grandfather to the still, barely recognizable form of Ryoko, tears threatening to spill from his eyes at any second.  

                "He's in shock."  Kiyone replied in Tenchi's stead, carefully getting to her feet.  "Mihoshi's probably deaf until we can get her ears fixed up, but she should be all right otherwise."  The teal haired detective continued, wincing slightly at the sound of her own voice.  "I've got a migraine from hell, but I'm used to it at this point."

                Katsuhito bit back a smirk at that.

                "Washu's going to be out of it for a while... I don't think her younger form handled the shock very well and she pushed herself hard to stay conscious."  Kiyone continued, her tone businesslike.  "Sasami is definitely out of it, but it's just shock most likely... Ayeka's been fading in and out, but I think she'll be fine too.  She can probably walk with only a little help if we need to move her.  I don't think Ryo-Ohki was affected by the sonic attack itself, but when Ryoko..." her voice broke at the name and she took a deep steadying breath.

                "When Ryoko was hit Ryo-Ohki went unconscious.  I don't know how badly she's been effected." 

                "Mayuka?"  Katsuhito asked quietly, his voice deceptively calm.

                "She's fine."  Kiyone said, a sad ghost of a smile passing briefly across her face.  "Scared, mad, and very very upset... but fine.  That soundproofing Washu installed in her room protected her from the sonic device for the most part... and Ryoko..."

                "Ryoko saved her."  Katsuhito finished for the Teal haired detective.  "We should get everyone up to the shrine for now.  We can decide on a course of action after everyone has been tended to."

                "OH!"  Kiyone exclaimed, "Keith!"

                "Are you all right young man?"  A grandfatherly voice asked from above Keith.  "How do you feel?"

                "Boiled."  Keith mumbled into the warm, wet, ash he was lying on.

                "I see." the voice commented wryly.  "Would you like a hand up?"

                "Maybe later," Keith moaned rolling over gingerly.  "Who're you?"

                "Ayeka's big brother."  Katsuhito replied with a smirk.

                "Ah... She told you that I apologized?  Right?"

                Mayuka had finally quieted down.  The exhausted infant was dozing comfortably in Mihoshi's arms, cradled comfortably against the generous pillow that was the blonde detectives chest.

                "Lucky kid."  Keith muttered under his breath, a small smile curling his lips for the briefest instant before he turned his attention back to the task at hand.  

                Kneeling beside the elder of the Jurian princesses, Keith fished a small medical device out of the open GP med kit lying beside him.  "How's that Ayeka?"  He asked after a few making a few careful passes over her ears with the key chain sized object.  "Can you hear me alright?  No pain?"

                "Yes,  I'm fine... thank you."  She responded after a few seconds, tearing her gaze away from Ryoko's mangled form, lying on one of Katsuhito's spare futons in one corner of the shrine, still wrapped in the green energy field that Washu had encased her in.  Tenchi sat beside her in a silent vigil, answering every question directed at him in a dull monotone and as briefly as possible.  Ayeka blinked back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, before continuing in a voice that held just they slightest trace of unsteadiness.  "My ears are still ringing though... it makes it hard to think straight."

                "Nothing I can do about that I'm afraid."  Keith responded, throwing the upset girl a soft smile.  After a slight pause he continued, answering her unspoken question.  "As far as I can tell, the field Washu threw around Ryoko is a stasis cocoon.  It's not a cure, but it'll keep her alive until she can be properly treated."  Keith reassured, though even to his own ears the words sounded hollow.  Not sure what else to do he wrapped an arm around the violet haired princess's shoulders and pulled her into a comforting hug.

                Slightly embarrassed, but too exhausted to really object, Ayeka mumbled against his chest, "You realize of course that this is highly improper of you Mr. Mayhem."

                "Hey, I'm one of the galaxies most wanted criminals... I'm not expected to be proper Princess."  He answered in a teasing tone, his voice barely louder than hers, and a slightly sad smile on his features.

                "You kidnapped me not more than three days ago, scared the living daylights out of me."  Ayeka said with a tired, half giggle, half sob.  "And now your holding me in your arms..."  another giggle/sob "...and trying to comfort me."

                "Life's funny that way, isn't it?" Keith responded with a soft chuckle of his own.

                "Thank you." she murmured, her eyes drooping shut.  She was asleep seconds later, the combination of the medicine and her own mental and physical exhaustion overtook her.

                Carefully standing up, the sleeping Princess cradled in his arms, Keith padded silently over to where they had set up the makeshift beds for Washu and Sasami, setting her down gently beside her sister and covering her with one of the remaining blankets. 

                "Your welcome Ayeka."  Keith whispered.

                Standing up with a soft groan and a creak of long-abused joints Keith looked down at the row of sleeping girls with a soft, slightly sad smile.  Sasami had almost immediately rolled over and snuggled up to her older sister, mumbling quietly in her sleep before settling down again.  The blue haired little girl had woken up for a brief period shortly after they had evacuated everyone to the Temple with the assistance of two slightly charred, but intact Guardians and Tenchi's Grandfather.  She hadn't been awake for long though, quickly falling asleep from the medication Keith had given her.  They hadn't told her about Ryoko yet.  She didn't need any additional shocks.  She was sleeping peacefully and would probably be fine by morning though.

                Washu on the other hand...  The petite scientist was asleep, but he doubted she was actually getting any useful rest.  She was tossing and turning fitfully in her sleep, her face ghostly pale and strained.  Her hair was matted, and she was drenched in sweat despite the fact that it was a fairly cold in the temple.  Her expression was heartbreaking.  Tears occasionally trickling from the corners of her eyes as she mumbled unintelligibly into her pillow, the sounds occasionally turning into soft shuddering sobs that shook her petite frame.

                Silently moving over to kneel beside the distressed girl, Keith brushed Washu's hair out of her eyes and readjusted the covers around her.  "C'mon girl, relax." her whispered trying to take his voice as soothing as possible.  

                "Ryoko..." Washu cried softly, the name trailing off into another round of sobs.

                "Hush," Keith whispered, squeezing the sleeping girls shoulder, trying the comfort her.  "Your friend will be fine until you've recovered.  You saw to that Washu-chan." he whispered.  "The other girls aren't giving this much trouble, so why are you?"

                "RYOKO!" Washu shouted sitting up suddenly.  Keith landed on his butt with a heavy thump in an effort to avoid having his nose broken by her forehead..  "Where is she?"  Washu slurred, looking frantically around the room with blurry, unfocused eyes.

                "She's over there."  Keith said pointing towards the appropriate corner of the shrine.  "The stasis field is holding steady and while she's certainly not getting better she's not going to get any worse either."  Keith reassured, scrambling to kneel beside the distraught girl again.

                "Let me see her." Washu mumbled, trying rather unsuccessfully to get to her feet.

                "Later, right now you need to get some rest and let your system recover."  Keith said, trying to gently push her back down onto the futon.  "You're not going to be of any help to Ryoko in this condition."

                "He's right Washu."  Tenchi's soft voice came from just behind Keith.

                "Chan!"  Washu reprimanded, sounding very much like an overly tired child.

                "Hai, Washu-chan" Tenchi replied with a ghost of a smile.  "Keith-san's still right though.  You need your rest."

                "But my daughter..." Washu protested weakly, her voice trailing off into an incoherent mumble.  

                "I'll make sure nothing else happens to her until you wake up."  Tenchi promised, gently pushing Washu back down onto the futon and covering her back up with the blanket. 

                "Y'd bttrr..." Washu mumbled threateningly before falling into an exhausted slumber.

                "Daughter?"  Keith asked quietly as Tenchi stood back up to go back to his place beside Ryoko's still form.

                "It's a long story."  Tenchi answered, his voice the one of a man who was really not up to telling a long story.

                "It'll wait."  Keith answered quickly.  "You should get some rest too." he added a few seconds later as Tenchi took his post sitting beside Ryoko, leaning against the wooden wall of the shrine.  

                "Goodnight Keith-san." was Tenchi's only reply.

End Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5 Parts 1 & 2 : Setting Out & Fo

Disclaimer - Tenchi and the crew are unfortunately not my property.  I had no part in creating them, though I am desperately trying to figure out how to give myself Ryoko's abilities.  I am not writing this for the purpose of making money, though if any kind souls see fit to give donations I will not complain.  I am writing merely because I'm an obsessive person in general and I really need to get it out of my system.  Mayhem is my creation however, and anyone using him without my OK will anger the Great Shaven Cat Goddess and cause her to sic her elite pack of Killer Llamas on you.  Criticism is welcome, flames are ignored, praise will inflate my ego greatly, and make sure I actually finish this one-day.  Enjoy.

Many thanks to my talented editor, and fellow fanfic author, for his help in making this readable.  THANK YOU DREZ!!!!

Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes

Chapter 5, Part 1

Setting Out 

                "Well, the long range comm. array's shot."  Kiyone groaned, pulling herself out from the tight maintenance passageway with a grunt, and wiping her brow with one of her arms.  The dark haired detective was wearing her uniform pants, now stained with grease and dirt, and a similarly grubby tank top.  "The asshole hit her pretty hard on his way out.  My own damned fault for leaving the Yagami parked in such a vulnerable spot I guess." She added with a grimace.

                "So not only did Washu commandeer the faster ship, but she took the only one with a working communications system as well?"  Ayeka asked, frustration evident in her voice, her hands tugging nervously at the shorts and t-shirt she had borrowed from the taller Mihoshi.

                "More or less."  Kiyone answered, getting to her feet with a grunt.  "Getting Ryoko treated is the main priority after all."

"It's not like Heero to be this sloppy."  A scruffy looking, dark-haired young man mused from behind Ayeka, where he was leaning against a workstation.         "I wonder why he didn't hit Mihoshi's ship too?"  Keith asked, curious.  

                "Oh my Yukinojo's to smart for that."  Mihoshi answered cheerily, her substantial blond ponytail bouncing slightly when she nodded her head in emphasis.

                "That's true."  Kiyone sighed.  "Yukinojo is a full fledged A.I. ship.  He probably just put up his shields and dodged.  I imagine that Heero was running too fast after that hit he took to get off more than a quick broadside."

                "Well I keep saying you should upgrade Yagami's computer Kiyone."  Mihoshi told Kiyone in a slightly lecturing tone, wagging her finger in emphasis.  "The one she has now is just so boring!"  Mihoshi said.

                "Well excuse me for preferring a ship that's actually some fun to fly," the teal-haired detective shot back in irritation, her expression softening almost immediately when tears started to form in her blonde partners sky-blue eyes.  

                "It was just a suggestion Kiyone, you didn't need to yell at me you know."  Mihoshi sniffled.

                Kiyone sighed, rubbing her temples to ward off the all-to-familiar feeling of an oncoming headache.  "Sorry Mihoshi, I'm just a bit irritated at this whole situation."

                "Well, now that we've established that we can't just call for help, perhaps we'd better get moving."  Ayeka interrupted, her soft voice taking on a commanding tone.

                "We should be ready for hyperspace in five."  Kiyone replied heading towards the cockpit.  "C'mon Mihoshi, lets get to work."

                Ayeka felt the Yagami shudder slightly as her hyperdrive was engaged, and squeezed her eyes shut until the slight nausea that usually accompanied the shift from realspace to hyperspace passed.  

                "You alright Ayeka?" Keith asked curiously, coming up behind the violet-haired girl.

                "I'm fine."  Ayeka replied politely.  "Hyperspace always makes me a little queasy at first."  She elaborated when he raised an eyebrow questioningly.

                "I think I have something for that somewhere in here…"  Keith offered, starting to root around in the little dimensional pouch hanging from his belt.

                "Oh, thank you for the offer Keith-san, but It's already past." Ayeka replied, giving the slightly scruffy young man beside her a small smile.

                "You sure?"  Keith pressed, returning her smile with a slightly teasing one of his own.

                "Yes, I am quite sure."  Ayeka replied, smacking him lightly on the arm.  "I must say, for one of the galaxies most wanted criminals, you spend an awful lot of time worrying about other people."  The young princess teased as they started down the corridor again.

                "I know."  Keith sighed in mock resignation.  "I've been trying to kick the habit for years, but it's just too deeply ingrained I'm afraid.  It's always getting me into trouble."  He added dramatically.  This actually got a real laugh out of Ayeka.

                "I was going to go to the observation deck for a while."  Ayeka started.  "Would you care to join me?  I would welcome the company."

                "It would be my pleasure M'Lady."  Keith replied with a warm smile.  Ayeka blushed.

                If she had been at the palace, they probably would have had half the palace out looking for her if she had been this late getting to bed.  Ayeka grinned slightly at he thought.  "And if they knew who's company I had spent that time in…" the grin turned into a small giggle.  Closing the door to the quarters she was sharing with her younger sister as quietly as she could manage, the violet-tressed girl tiptoed over to Sasami's bed, tucking the covers the younger girl had kicked off back around her sprawled figure.

                "Sweet dreams Sasami."   Ayeka whispered with a smile, kissing her younger sister on the forehead before standing up to get ready for bed herself.  Opening up the one battered and charred piece of their luggage that had actually survived the attack, Ayeka quickly came to the conclusion that none of her night clothes had survived.  Sighing slightly in annoyance, she considered her options and came to the conclusion that she may very well have to use the oversized t-shirt she was wearing now as a night shirt and simply leave it at that.  After all, her only other real choices were to sleep in her underwear or in the nude.  Neither of those options really appealed to her.

                She had just unbuttoned her borrowed shorts when someone knocked on the door lightly.  "Just a second." She called, trying to be heard without waking up her little sister and hastily re-buttoning the shorts.  Sliding the door open, she was surprised to find Keith standing there.  "Keith-san?  What can I do for you?" the young princess asked curiously, she had talked to him less than five minutes earlier after all.

                "Sorry if I'm disturbing you Ayeka, but I was just about to my quarters when a thought occurred to me."  Keith answered in a whisper.

                "Well as unusual of an occurrence as that may be Keith…" Ayeka replied, a teasing smile forming on her lips, "what does it have to do with me?"

                "Ouch."  Keith deadpanned, "That was a bit harsh." He added with a lopsided grin.  "I guess you don't want to borrow that nightgown again after all." He said flippantly, starting to turn around.

                "I…" Ayeka started, a bit surprised at the offer, though she supposed that she should be getting used to him lending her things at this point.  "I would appreciate that very much actually."  Ayeka admitted.  "But are you sure?  I mean… it, and everything else you've lent me… they were hers, weren't they?"

Keith's grin faded a bit, but didn't disappear as he turned back to face the violet-haired girl, who looked almost as nervous as she sounded.  "Yeah, they were hers."  Keith confirmed.  "About half the stuff in this thing is."  He elaborated, patting the deceptively small pouch hanging from his belt.  "The thing is, if she was here, she would have made the offer herself."

"She must have been a wonderful woman."  Ayeka replied after a moment's silence, lifting her eyes to meet his.

"She was."  Keith said, a wistful smile on his face.  Rooting around in the pouch for a second he pulled out the thick woolen nightgown he had let her use before, handing it to her.  "Goodnight Ayeka-chan."

                "Goodnight Keith-san" the first princess of Jurai replied, blushing a bit.  Deciding that lecturing him about what he called her would likely just serve to encourage him, Ayeka just shook her head in mock exasperation and closed the door to her quarters as he strolled away.

                Interstellar travel is, as a general rule, boring.  Sure the interruptions could be amusing, but the traveling part... well it was just dull.  The scenery almost never changed, and on the rare occasions that there was something interesting to look at, it was rarely for more than a few seconds.  At least not at the speeds most starships moved at while going faster than light.  So the experience tended to consist of waiting... and waiting... and, well you get the idea.

                Of course the experience wasn't turning out to be quite as bad this time around.  For the first time in a while he wasn't the only one on board.  Of course, the fact that pretty much everyone else on board was asleep meant that the young man, known to the galaxy at large as Mayhem, was still pretty damned bored.   Of course, even when the rest of the group had been awake it'd been pretty quiet.  

                Keith shivered in the Yagami's air-conditioned hallways.  It was kind of weird.  While he'd been in a number of GP cruisers, (most of the dark-haired fugitives ships had been GP cruisers at one point or another in their lives after all) it'd rarely been with the crews still onboard.  And here he was on a fully crewed one, as a passenger, and of his own free will.  With a soft swish the door to the small bridge slid open.

                Kiyone was leaning back in the command chair, her eyes shut, her breathing shallow, and her head lolling to one side.  Fast asleep.  Completely vulnerable.  Grinning evilly he leaned over, put his mouth close to her ear... and blew gently into it.

                Waking up with a yelp the teal haired detective nearly fell out of her chair, half drawing her blaster in surprise.  "Do you **want** me to shoot you!?!" Kiyone hissed at him angrily, re-holstering the pistol as he flopped into the co-pilots seat, grinning hugely.

                "Not particularly," Keith replied with chuckle, "but some opportunities just have to be taken advantage of.  Besides, it's your own fault for sleeping at your post."  The dirty look Kiyone shot him only made the young man grin wider.  "But seriously Detective, if your that tired maybe you should go to bed."

                "If that bubble-headed partner of mine would actually get up here and relieve me like she's supposed to, I would."  Kiyone replied with a yawn.  

                "How about you let me take over until Mihoshi arrives?"  Keith suggested in a reasonable tone.  "I've flown this model on a few occasions, I'm relatively sure I can handle her alone for as long as I need to."

                "Do I want to know why you've flown advanced model GP patrol ships before?"  The teal haired detective asked tiredly, shooting a suspicious glare at her passenger.

                "Probably not." Keith responded with a chuckle.

                "I didn't think so."  Kiyone sighed.  "Lets give that partner of mine a few more minutes."

                "If you insist."  Keith shrugged, scanning the Yagami's controls and readouts with a practiced eye.

                "There's one very important question you never got around to answering before your storytelling session was... interrupted..." Kiyone said after a few minutes of silence.  Keith just looked at her, one brow raised in silent question.  "Did you actually kill Duke Satoshima?"

                "Yes."  Keith responded after a short pause, his voice quiet.  "But it was in self defense, and in the defense of a friend."

                "A friend?"  Kiyone pressed, her tone curious, but carrying a touch of sympathy.  There was no trace of hostility in her scent either, Keith noted with a sense of relief.

                "Talia."  Keith answered quietly, unconsciously reaching up with one hand to grasp something underneath the thin cotton of his T-shirt.  "If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about it at the moment."  He finished after a moment's silence.

                "Gomen." Kiyone apologized quietly.

                "Don't worry about it."  Keith replied, waving away the apology.

                "Out of curiosity, how are we going to explain my presence on board to the rest of the GP?"  Keith asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.  "Or the Jurian government for that matter?  Your colleagues aren't very fond of me at the moment."

                Kiyone shot him a wry grin.  "We're not going to explain anything to anyone."

                "Huh?" 

                "Until we can get all the evidence assembled... you are not here."  Kiyone elaborated.  "Washu worked up some fake ID and a disguise kit... use it."

                "Detective Kiyone, I'm shocked."  Keith deadpanned, "That's downright sneaky of you."

                "Thanks."  Kiyone replied wryly, biting back a yawn.  

                They made a fairly unusual looking group as they walked down the street away from the spaceport.  Four Jurian nobles, apparently being escorted down the busy streets by two GP officers but none of the normal attendants.  

Ayeka and Sasami were wearing their normal garb, their status given away by the style and expense of their clothing as well as by Ayeka's tiara.  (One of the suitcases they used as dressers had by some miracle, thrown clear into the lake by one of the first shots.)  Ayeka's kimono was an emerald green with delicate, abstract, designs picked out in pale blue thread.  OF course underneath the outer kimono she was reduced to wearing a pair of slacks and a pale blue silk blouse that Keith had pulled from his dimensional pouch, but it wasn't noticeable.  Sasami was wearing a similar kimono, though hers was blue and green over a powder blue jumpsuit befitting a child 

Katsuhito, Yosho (they still hadn't explained that one to Keith yet), had dug up what was probably his last intact traditional Jurian outfit.  An overcoat of white with red trim covered an ash gray shirt.  His black pants looked as if they belonged on a samurai, the loose, billowing pant legs making an interesting contrast with the carefully fitted clothing on his upper body.  On top of that the old man had adopted a set of mannerisms that almost made Keith want to bow down.  Or trip him_._

                As for Keith, well the disguise Washu had cooked up was the antithesis of the Mayhem persona he'd worn as a matter of course for years.  The hair was elaborately and perfectly styled... not to mention cotton candy pink.  The face underneath was handsome, but almost feminine in its delicacy.  The robes were flashy, expensive, and on the borders of good taste. Not to mention the fact that they were all pastel pinks, yellows, and blues.  Ugh.  Combined with the voice modulator under his tongue, the false pads on his fingertips, and a number of other small devices hidden about his person, it was about as perfect of a disguise as he'd ever run across.  

                "What's my name supposed to be again?" he whispered quietly to the violet haired girl walking beside him, grimacing slightly at the lisping, effeminate voice that slipped from between his lips.

                "Seiryou" Ayeka whispered back, giggling.

                The planet they were on had been Mayhem's last stop before he'd made his final run for Earth just a handful of days before.  And if the trail left by Heero's wounded ship was any indication, it was where their quarry had run to first.  

                Unsurprisingly, the planet was still crawling with GP ships and officers gathering as much data as they could before they officially closed the case against Mayhem.  Admittedly they weren't actively looking for him, he was still officially dead after all, but it was still making him nervous. Disguise or no disguise he still felt like someone had painted a target on his back.

                "Are you sure this disguise Washu cooked up is enough to keep them off our backs?"  He whispered, leaning close to Kiyone's ear.

                "For the fifth time, yes."  Kiyone answered, the slightest hint of irritation evident in her tone.  "Are you always this jumpy?"

                "Only when I'm in shooting range of a dozen or more people who would be more than happy to kill me on sight."  Keith shot back in a tight voice.

                "Keep this up and your going to add one more person onto that list."  Kiyone threatened, eliciting a giggle from Ayeka.  Keith grumbled something uncomplimentary sounding under his breath, but shut up.  "Now everyone stay here, Mihoshi and I are going to see what information we can get out of our fellow officers.  We'll be back in just a few minutes."  

                "That will be fine Kiyone."  Ayeka responded, giving the detectives an encouraging smile.  "Good luck."

                "Thanks" Kiyone acknowledged.  "C'mon Mihoshi."

                "So..." Keith started as they watched the teal-haired detective drag her blonde partner into the local GP station.  "Anyone up for ice-cream?"  He asked, gesturing to a small parlor across the street from them.

                Well it was official.  He was broke.  He was going to have to pick up a part time job in order to earn money for a ticket home.  "Well, no one ever said being a freelance photographer was going to be easy Kanno." he mumbled to himself.  "Should've known that somebody as notorious as Mayhem wouldn't let himself get caught on some backwater world like this one. Dammit, I've been following this trail for months too."

                Ding-a-ling

                Kanno looked up at the sound of the door chime reflexively, and his jaw nearly hit the floor.  He almost laughed out loud when he recognized the group that walked in the door.  This would set him up for the rest of the year!  With practiced ease he slipped on a small monocle headset, and plugged it into his palm holo-camera.  

                Princess Ayeka of Jurai, on an outing in public... something that hadn't been reported by any tabloid in around seven hundred standard years... and she was with her rumored husband-to-be!  Kanno was practically drooling at the scoop that had literally walked into his hands.  And the way the two were acting around each other!  How close they were standing to each other, the casual way they were interacting... he had evidence to support the rumors that had been flowing out of the royal court all year!  OK, so maybe it wasn't exactly proof, but it was enough for the tabloids.

                Propping the small camera casually beside his water glass, angled perfectly to catch the small groups every action, he pulled out his notepad and started writing furiously.  Every tabloid in the universe would want these pictures! 

                The parlor was obviously popular Ayeka noted as they stepped inside.  There was a significant line, though it seemed to moving quickly in the face of the staff's efforts, and at least two thirds of the tables were occupied, and the rest seemed to be filling rapidily.

                "Why don't you guys grab a booth, I'll get the ice-cream."  Keith suggested, obviously noticing the same thing Ayeka had.

                "An excellent idea."  Katsuhito agreed.  "I'll have a lemon flavored shaved ice please."  The rest of the group quickly gave their orders and claimed one of the larger booths while Keith got in line.

                Almost immediately after they took their seats Ayeka was reminded of one of the primary reasons she liked living on earth.

                "You're never going to believe who sitting behind you."  The girl was obviously trying to be quiet but she was too excited to whisper properly and Ayeka was having no trouble hearing the every word said.  Though the rest of her party seemed to have no trouble ignoring the conversation.

                "Who?" the second girl asked, her voice curious.  "And why in the world are you talking like that?"

                "The first and second princesses of Jurai!" the first girl hissed excitedly.  

                "Uh-huh, sure."  The second girl replied sarcastically.

                "I'm serious Yuki." the first girl insisted.  "Look over at the checkout line for Tsunami's sake!  Who do you see ordering?"

                "Who are you... holy!" the second girl, Yuki, responded.  "It's the first princess' fiancée!"

                Ayeka nearly fell out of her seat.  Fiancée!?!  She was going to kill her father, he'd promised!  She took a deep calming breath, reminding herself that rumor often traveled faster and to more people than real news.  Yes, that's right, it was merely rumor, nothing more.

                "Are you all right sis?"  Sasami asked worriedly.  "You look a little upset."

                "It's nothing."  Ayeka reassured, smiling gently at her sister.  "Just a bit worried about Lord Tenchi and the others."  It wasn't the exactly truth, but she didn't see any reason to bring her sisters attention to their... admirers.

                "Don't worry sis."  Sasami said returning Ayeka's smile with a bright one of her own, "Washu and Tenchi will save Ryoko."

                Ayeka started to protest the inference that she was worried about Ryoko of all people, more out of habit than anything else, but the words died on her lips.  "Thank you Sasami.  Your right of course."

                "Christ that was weird."  Keith complained as he slid into the seat beside.  

                "What was weird Ke... Seriyu-san?"  Sasami asked curiously.

                "Just the way people are acting around me."  Keith shrugged.  "It took them about twice as long as normal to get the order filled because they spent so much time bowing and shit."  

                Ayeka whapped him lightly on the back of his head before responding, "The price of being royalty I'm afraid.  Oh, and do watch your language Seriyu-sama, there are children present."  She added when he opened his mouth to protest.

                One the best of days a GP stationhouse was controlled chaos, but this… this was just insane Kiyone reflected as she and Mihoshi stepped through the doors.  Officers were running around, people were shouting across the room, it was just nuts.  

                "What's going on in here?"  Kiyone demanded, grabbing a passing officer.

                "Someone took out the sectors GP communications nexus."  He replied briefly before hurrying on.

                Kiyone grabbed another passing officer, this time getting a solid grip on the young woman's arm.  "What happened to the communications nexus?  How bad is it?"  She asked the harried looking woman.

                "We don't know for sure." The young woman replied breathlessly.  "From all indications it was sabotage.  The station simply blew up.  If you have an urgent message you need to get out however, the civilian communication lines are all up and running."  The woman replied irritably, "Now if you don't mind I really have a lot of work to get done Detective."  With that the young woman pulled her arm free of Kiyone's grasp and hurried off.

                "I guess we'll just have to go to the normal post office and send the message there then."  Mihoshi suggested.

                "It's not that simple Mihoshi."  Kiyone sighed.  "The civilian lines just aren't secure, and this isn't information we can send over open channels like that."

                "Why not?" Mihoshi asked confused.

                "Well first off, Heero has access to GP equipment, it'd be child's play for him to intercept any message we sent over civilian communication lines." Kiyone explained with practiced patience.  "And secondly, this whole incident involved an attack on three different members of the royal family.  Four if we include Mayuka.  That's just not information you want to send out over open channels.  It'd be on the news in five seconds flat."

                "Oh…" Mihoshi responded.

                "Ah well, guess that'll just have to wait.  We'd better see if anyone spotted Heero's cruiser and get that APB issued."

                "Excuse me, Seriyu-Sama?" a young woman, only a little older than Sasami, but still well into adolescence, asked nervously, bowing deeply.  

                Ayeka elbowed Keith sharply after a second's silence.  "Oh, err… yes young lady?"  Keith asked, completely bewildered.

                "Would you sign this for me?  I'm your biggest fan."  The petite blonde let out in a rush, holding out a picture.  Keith blinked, looking at the picture.  It was a photo of the person he was disguised as standing beside an absolutely HUGE trophy, holding a Jurian light-sword proudly, a superior smirk entrenched firmly on his face.  With a shrug he started to reach for the pen the girl was holding out… and paused when he realized that he had absolutely NO idea what the guy's signature was supposed to look like.

                "I'll tell you what miss, I'll do something even better."  Keith responded after a moment's hesitation.  Reaching into his multi-dimensional pouch he retrieved an instant holocamera that one of the previous owners had left in there, quickly checking to make sure it was still working.

                "Excuse me sir, would you mind taking a picture?"  Keith called to a young man sitting at a nearby table.  

                Kanno nearly fell out of his seat.  

                "Well that was a complete and utter waste of time."  Kiyone muttered as she and Mihoshi weaved their way through the lobby of the stationhouse.

                "At least we found Heero's ship."  Mihoshi pointed out, waving a hand vaguely in the direction of the impound lot.

                "What's left of it you mean." Kiyone snorted.  "The entire interior is incinerated and the shuttle bay, something that the ship wasn't even registered as having mind you, is empty."  The only thing it tells us is that he was in the system at one point or another."

                "Oh, I wonder what's going on over there?"  Mihoshi asked, pointing at the ice-cream parlor across the street as they stepped out the front doors.  A rapidly growing crowd surrounded the place, all of them trying to get a look at what was going on inside.

                "You know what to do, right?"  Despite the way it was phrased, it wasn't a question.

                "Of course Heero-san" the elderly GP officer replied, his voice tight.

                "Is something the matter my friend?"  Heero asked, his carrying only the slightest hint of disapproval at the officer's attitude.

                "Why are you involving the crown princesses in this affair?" the man asked, turning to fix Heero with a steely gaze.

                "I did no such thing." Heero replied with a smirk.  "They chose to involve themselves.  It was no fault of mine."

                "But to endanger them simply to get one man!" the officer protested.

                "Is it not slightly late in the game to acquire a conscience my dear chief of police?" Heero replied, his eyes narrowing dangerously.  

                "But..." the chief started to protest.

                "I heard that your youngest daughter just had her first child recently?"  Heero cut the chief off, his tone conversational.  "A lovely little girl from what I've heard.  Takes after her mother apparently." 

                "You wouldn't dare."  The chief growled leaning on his desk.  His thick eyebrows and beard making him look almost feral.  

                "I wouldn't dare to do what?"  Heero asked, almost sounding genuinely surprised.  "My dear friend, you mustn't take every little conversation I try to start as a threat."

                "I have enough evidence to…" the chief threatened weakly.

                Heero laughed.  

                "My dear man, such a silly thing to say."  Heero said, a cruel grin on his face.  "You should know by now that for every scrap of evidence you can bring to bear against me, I have a mountain that I can present about your activities.  Imagine how your family would feel if all of that was to come to light."

                "All right.  I'll do it."  The chief replied, his voice small as he slumped into his chair in defeat.

                "That's a good man."

Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes

Chapter 5 - Part 2

Foreign Lands 

                Yukinojo hung in space, seemingly motionless against the vast backdrop of stars and galaxies.  Of course, in deep space, even low superluminal velocities don't elicit much movement of the backdrop.  However once Yukinojo finished with his present course adjustment... there.  As Tenchi watched through one of the large windows on the observation deck, the stars seemed to start flowing around him.  Blurring gradually into streaks of light that stretched and then faded as she picked up velocity.

                Tenchi knew he should have been sleeping.  He was exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally.  But he couldn't sleep.  He was afraid that if he did, he'd wake up to find her dead.  He'd never even had a chance to answer her, never even had a chance to decide on his answer.  How did he feel about her exactly?  It was quite honestly a question he'd tried very hard to avoid for the past few years.  

                 He loved all of them dearly, he knew that much for certain.  Sure they were loud, argumentative, never gave him any space, and could drive him nuts... but that's the kind of stuff family was supposed to do.  Though he wouldn't have minded if they'd stopped wrecking the house every other week.

                 He'd been a single child all his life, and after his mother had died he'd felt very alone.  His father, as much as he'd loved his son, had often had to work long hours when Tenchi was growing up, and he'd only seen his grandparents during school breaks.  The past few years... he hadn't ever felt alone.

                Ayeka and Ryoko though, they both wanted to be more than to be just family... and if he chose one he might very well lose the other.  Of course, now it looked like he was going to lose one of them anyway.  

                "Tenchi, if you don't stop brooding and go to sleep I WILL drug you!"  Washu threatened groggily as she trudged onto the main deck, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  "Even Mayuka's being better about sleeping than your are!"

                "Sorry Washu." Tenchi responded, his voice dull, and barely loud enough for the redhead to hear.  "I'm not handling this very well, am I?"

                "No, your not." Washu answered bluntly.  "But I guess that's understandable, and it's not like I was doing any better when it first happened."

                "How can you be so calm?"  Tenchi asked, the slightest touch of heat in the question.

                "Because If I don't stay calm I can't help her."  Washu answered softly.  "Because if I let myself start crying again I'm not sure if I'll be able to stop."  Tenchi didn't respond, merely continued staring out into space.

                "She's not going to die Tenchi," Washu continued after a few seconds, "I won't let her.  But I AM going to need your help to do it.  Now get some sleep."

                "I'll try."  Tenchi answered quietly.  "Washu..."

                "Yes?"  Washu asked, pausing at the entrance to the crew quarters.

                "You never did tell me where we're going..." Tenchi said, fixing the diminutive scientist with a slight glare for being left in the dark.

                "Why, we're going to go pay a visit to Ryoko's father, that's all."  Washu replied, managing to put on one of her normal mad scientist grins for a brief second.  "Goodnight Tenchi."

                The planet below him shone a pale blue-green, dotted with tiny patches of brown, emerald and gray.  Wispy clouds cast long shadows over the shallow sea that covered the majority of the planet's surface.  Tenchi guessed it was beautiful, but he really wasn't in the right state of mind to appreciate it.  "Is this the place?"

                "This is it."  Washu confirmed from Yukinojo's pilots seat.  "The home planet of the masu.  The life-form I used as a base for both Ryo-Ohki and Ryoko."  Tenchi just fixed the diminutive scientist with a blank stare in response.  Washu sighed, "Do I really have to spell it out for you Tenchi?"

                "Yes."  Tenchi replied bluntly, his voice tired.  Washu sighed, and swiveled in her seat to face him as Ryo-Ohki started her decent through the planets atmosphere.

                "You remember when the masu I had in my lab escaped that one time, right?"  Washu asked.  

                "That's when Ryo-Ohki gained her humanoid form, right?"  Tenchi responded.

                "That's right, she assimilated them and used the extra material and their own innate desire to follow the will of their leader in order to gain a new form."  Washu affirmed, her voice taking on a lecturing tone.  "Ryoko, having an almost identical relationship with the masses, is perfectly capable of assimilating with them as well."

                "And assimilating enough of them will save Ryoko?"  Tenchi asked eagerly.

                "Well it's not quite that simple."  Washu said with a sigh.  "Ryoko's regenerative ability is extensive, but even she has limits.  A full third of her body mass was vaporized by that blast.  Almost her entire epidermal layer received serious burns, and the because of hydrostatic shock and heat, a number of her internal organs are little more than dead tissue, including one of her lungs and a portion of her heart.  If the blast had hit just slightly more to the left and damaged her spinal column... she would have died before I got the stasis field up."  Washu paused for a second, eyes closed as she tried to maintain control of her wavering voice.

                "Even if we manage to get them to assimilate with her, I'm still going to have to perform some fairly extensive surgery."  Washu continued, fixing Tenchi with an intense stare, making him flinch a bit.  "But to be honest, that's the easy part.  The hard part is that Ryoko is going to have to be awake for there to be any chance at all of getting the masu to assimilate with her."

                "Awake?" Tenchi exclaimed incredulously.  "How in the world are we supposed to wake her up?"

                "That's why I brought you along actually."  Washu replied.

                "Huh?"  

                "I am going to put you in deep telepathic contact with her.  Once your in, you'll need to make contact with her conscious self and convince her to wake up."  Washu explained,  "How you do it is up to you, but you only get one shot at it."

                "Why me?"  Tenchi asked, baffled  "You're the one with the mental link."

                "..................." Washu mumbled almost inaudibly, looking down at the floor and chewing on her lower lip.

                "What was that Washu?"  Tenchi asked, a touch of concern in his voice.

                "She doesn't trust me." Washu repeated a little louder.  "I can get into her mind... but I don't think she'd let me find her conscious self, let alone hear me out."

                Tenchi remained silent for a while, looking critically at the little scientist as she did her best to look very interested in the floor.  "All right." he finally responded, "I'll do it, but..."  Washu looked up at him nervously, "when all of this is done, promise me you'll at least try and work things out with her."

                "...Hai..."

                "Ummm... so tell me again why they aren't attacking us like last time?"  Tenchi ask nervously as Washu carefully scooped up another of the little creatures' dubbed masu.

                "Because I have a field set up around the area to disguise our respective energy fields from their senses."  Washu explained calmly, gently setting the small creature in the liquid-filled tank holding Ryoko's still form.  "And before you ask, I attracted them here with that." she added, pointing to a meter tall device set up a short distance away.  "It mimics their mental signals to attract them.  Now get back to work, we need a dozen more before we can get started."

                A mere five minutes later the two were done.  Inside the clear crystal cylinder the small shapeless forms of the masu swam lazily around Ryoko's mutilated form and the various machines that surrounded her, a few occasionally stopping to nudge curiously up against her.  The machines themselves surrounded her.  Each and every one poised to start working the instant the stasis bubble was dropped.  Tenchi placed his fingers against the glass, looking closely, waiting for Washu to signal her readiness.

                "Ryoko."  He started, his voice a whisper.  "I know you can't hear me... but, I'm sorry.  Sorry for running away all the time, for leading you on, for making you wait..." he paused for a second; squeezing his eyes shut tightly against the tears he could feel building.  "I mean, I should at least have answered you in some way or another..."

                "You can tell her all of that later Tenchi."  Washu said quietly, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.  "There's just one more thing to do before we start.  You have the Tenchi-ken, right?"

                "Hai."

                "Return her gems.  They shouldn't be affected by the stasis bubble."  Washu said softly.  "She'll need all the energy she can get."

                Tenchi took the sword from his belt and touched it to the glass with a soft ting.  Closing his eyes, he prayed.  Thirty seconds later, it was done, the gems fading from the places they had held on the Tenchi-Ken for centuries, and reappearing on Ryoko's wrist and at the base of her throat.  "It took longer than when I returned the first one."  Tenchi observed quietly.

                "It was probably just the stasis bubble."  Washu reassured, her quiet voice matching his own.  They stood there for a few minutes, Tenchi trying to mentally prepare himself, Washu merely observing.  "Come on," she said, breaking the silence, "lets get you hooked up."

                He couldn't see anything.  He could barely wiggle his fingers, let alone move anything larger.  He could feel the restraints around every part of his body, forcing him to remain absolutely motionless.  Tenchi suddenly felt extremely thankful that he wasn't claustrophobic, though if he had to deal with this for too much longer that might very well change.

                "Tenchi, you're really going to have to relax."  Washu's slightly nasal voice sounded in his ear through the oversized headset covering his eyes and ears.  "I know it's not terribly comfortable in there, but it's all very necessary."

                "I believe you Washu-chan, but if you don't mind me asking..." Tenchi replied nervously, "What exactly does all of it do?"

                "Life support primarily."  Washu replied, her voice matter of fact.  "Your brain was never meant to do the whole out-of-body thing Tenchi, all of this is what's going to keep your body from shutting down while you're not in it."  

                "So what happens if Ryoko..." Tenchi started.

                "If she dies with you still in her mind, you could die with her."  Washu interrupted, anticipating the question.  "I'll try and pull you back if I can, but I can't make any promises."  She paused, briefly, and her voice was quiet, when she continued.  "I won't force you to do this Tenchi.  If you change your mind at any point..."

                "Washu."  Tenchi cut her off,  "I want Ryoko back as much as you do."

                "Arigato."  Washu answered gratefully.  "All right then, there's just a few more things you need to know then."  She continued after a few seconds, slipping quickly back into her professor persona again.  "What your going to be dealing with the huge majority of the time you spend in Ryoko's mind is going to be her unconscious self.  It will NOT react on any level other than an emotional one, and there is no guarantee that she will even recognize you."

                "I understand."  Tenchi replied when the red-haired scientist stopped to take a breath.

                "No you don't Tenchi."  Washu replied sharply.  "That girl has seen and experienced more horrible things than you could ever imagine in the course of her life.  Those experiences are a large part of what you are going to be dealing with.  Her mental defenses are lethal, and the love of her life or not, they are more than capable of targeting you."

                "All right, all right.  I've got it." Tenchi replied, with a sigh.  "How long will I have?"

                "I'll be able to keep her alive for about two hours after I drop the stasis bubble, but your sense of time is going to be more or less non-existent while your in there.  Just move as fast as you can and find my little girl." 

                There was a rush, an indescribable cascade of light, sound, sensations, and flavors as his senses went haywire, and he found himself standing rather unsteadily on a jagged landscape of black and white crystal.  The rough terrain spread out underneath a sky filled with fast moving, boiling clouds, glinting brightly when the occasional patch of sunlight broke through.  All around him, delicate clusters of wafer thin crystal spires bloomed like desert plants, sparkling softly in the intermittent light.

                "Beautiful." he whispered quietly.  It was a harsh beauty to be sure, but breathtaking all the same.  Shaking his head to clear it he took a step forward, and halted as soon as he put his foot back down, the polished obsidian crystal creaking ominously under the pressure.  Looking anxiously at his feet, he gulped nervously before taking another, much more careful step.  Again the surface creaked, but much more quietly.

                Taking careful steps Tenchi started out across the crystal landscape, looking for any clue what to do next.  After what felt like hours, he found himself standing at the top of a long, steep, slope of milky-white crystal, looking out over a wide valley.  At the center stood a broad dome, the same crimson as Ryo-Ohki's, but with one crucial difference.  It was cracked.  And not a small crack, or even just one crack, but a latticework of deep cracks that radiated out like a spiders web from a small hole near the top of the structure.  Well relatively small anyway.  The dome itself seemed huge, even from this distance.  He couldn't even begin to make a guess at its exact dimensions without a reference to compare it against though

                "That's probably a bad sign."  He muttered to himself, trying to ignore the gnawing sensation the sight caused in his gut.  Looking around carefully for any easy way down the valley, he came to the rather quick conclusion that there wasn't one.  Gritting his teeth he took a careful seat on the edge of the slope, doing his best to ignore the ominous noises the action elicited from the crystal underneath him.

                "This is a bad idea." the young prince muttered to himself, gulping nervously as he looked down towards the valley floor.  With one final prayer to whatever gods might happen to be listening, he pushed off.  And slid down the ice-slick crystal surface yelling at the top of his lungs.

                He hit the bottom of the slope with a crunch of breaking crystal.  Razor sharp fragments ripped the back of his work coat to shreds and tore into his back painfully.  Getting painfully to his feet Tenchi managed to add a sliced-up left palm to his list of injuries.  He was still trying to extract a stubborn sliver of the milky-white crystal from one of the deeper cuts when he heard it.

                It was halfway between the rustle of leaves and the ringing of a fine crystal glass being tapped lightly and repeatedly.  And it was all the warning the young prince had.  If it hadn't been for his reflexes, ingrained deeply by a lifetime of training with his grandfather, he may very well have died then and there.

                "I'll have to remember to thank Grandfather."  Tenchi thought wildly as the thin crystal blade shattered against the ground where he'd been standing, the pieces flying everywhere like crystalline shrapnel that further ruined his clothing and left several impressive nicks and scratches on his exposed skin.

                He forced himself to keep moving despite the pain that flared every-place he'd been cut, dodging away from the dozens of crystalline blades that arrowed towards him.  "Where are they coming from?"  He thought, desperately scanning for the source of the attack even as on of the thrown blades open a long, shallow gash across his belly.

                "There!" he practically shouted, spotting one of the plant-like crystal clusters he'd been admiring before as it shifted with the odd noise that had warned him the first time and launched a cluster of wafer-thin crystals at him.  And it wasn't the only one.  All around the clusters shifted as if blown by the wind and launched their deadly blades at the young prince.

                In desperation he called out for the light hawk wings... and sagged in relief when the familiar surge of energy ran through his being.  The next volley of blades hit dead center... and shattered against the wings.  The world around him seemed to flinch, and even the rustle-ring of the clusters took on a nervous tone. 

                He could feel his heart pumping loudly in his chest; hear the rush of blood in his ears.  He wondered briefly if it was all in his mind, or if his body was actually reacting to everything he was experiencing.  

                "Ryoko!" he yelled to the landscape around him, his voice pleading.  "It's me, Tenchi!  I'm here to help you... PLEASE!!!"  The last shout echoing off the high walls of the valley, fading slowly into complete and utter silence.  Slowly, cautiously, he let the light hawk wings fade.

                "Mew?" the sound, as quiet as it was, made Tenchi jump.

                "Kitty?"  Tenchi asked, baffled.  Sitting at his feet, looking up at him curiously was his cat.  The one that had disappeared the summer he had released Ryoko from her cave.  "What are you doing here?"  He asked quietly, kneeling down with a wince to scratch it behind the ears.  The chocolate brown cat pressed her head against his hand, purring happily.

                "So, can you show me where Ryoko is Kitty?"  Tenchi asked, quietly, not really expecting a response.  To his surprise the small cat almost immediately pulled away from his had with a soft meow and started padding towards the dome.  Not wasting time to question what was going on, Tenchi got to his feet and followed as quickly as the still fragile crystal surface, and his wounds, would allow.

                They covered the distance to the dome in what felt like much too short a time.  The smooth red crystal almost seemed to glow from close up.  More significant to Tenchi's mind though was the lack of any visible entrance into the dome.  "So, where do we go from here kitty?"  Tenchi asked quietly, looking down at the small brown cat at his feet.  In response it mewed once, and walked right through the solid looking red crystal.

                "Now why didn't I see that one coming?" Tenchi muttered under his breath, he'd forgotten for a moment that he was walking around in Ryoko's head.  Of course there weren't any doors Tenchi realized, she didn't need them.  Hesitantly, Tenchi placed a hand against the crystal wall before him.  

                "Warm."  Tenchi breathed.  The crystal pulsed underneath his hand.  Waves of comforting warmth that seemed to travel through his entire being in a steady rhythm, soothing the stinging cuts covering his body.  With a start Tenchi realized that it was a heartbeat.  Ryoko's.  Or a representation anyway he amended, recalling Washu's warnings.

                Taking a deep breath, Tenchi pushed, trying to will the crystal surface beneath his palms to let him through.  His hand slipped through the surface as if was nothing more than water.  He followed it with the rest of his body before he could think of the implications, eyes tightly shut and holding his breath.  It was like... well he wasn't sure what to compare the experience to.  It was kind of like walking through warm gelatin, but more pleasant than he'd imagine that would feel.  Or maybe like being back in the womb.

                What he found on the other side of the dome made him pause in wonder.  After the harsh beauty of the landscape he'd just crossed, Tenchi had been expecting something... well different.  A wide field, with tall grasses the color of Ryoko's eyes, had certainly been one of the last things he would have guessed.  The dome, a perfect sky blue on the inside, radiated a warm light, bathing Tenchi and his surroundings in a comforting glow.  In the center of the field on a low hill, a small tree grew.  

                "Barely more than a sapling really." Tenchi reflected, his voice barely a whisper for fear of shattering the serene landscape before him.  The only thing marring the scene before him was the gaping hole in the arc of the dome above him.  Through it he could see the turbulent sky he had been traveling under since he'd arrived.

                The young prince was barely ten feet from the tree when he spotted the cat again, it was sitting on one of the trees slender branches, watching him wade his way through the tall grasses with what Tenchi could have sworn was amusement.

                "How'd you get here so fast Kitty?"  Tenchi asked shaking his head as he reached the tree.  The small kitten, it's perch barely above Tenchi's head, blinked sleepily at him and yawned.  

                "That's what I thought." Tenchi muttered shaking his head.  "So what do I do next?"  He asked himself, sitting down at the base of the tree with a wince.  He was surprised to note that the wounds had mostly closed, and there were no shards of crystal to be found anywhere on him.  He was still feeling very tender though, and his clothing was more or less shredded.  With a sigh he pulled his shirt and jacket off, the loose strips and gaping holes were interfering with his movement, and set them aside, draped over a small boulder that poked out of the hill a few feet away from the tree.

                With a sigh Tenchi leaned back carefully against the smooth bark of the tree, grimacing slightly as the trunk pressed uncomfortably against some of the larger wounds on his back. Carefully readjusting his position, Tenchi considered what to do next.  The dome had been the only thing of any remark he'd seen since arriving, and the cat had led him right to it.  It just had to be significant... it was the only lead he had.

                Tenchi bit back a yawn.  Gods he was tired.  And the warm light and peaceful atmosphere weren't helping.  His limbs felt so heavy, and the grasses around the base of the tree were almost criminally soft.  He tried to shake his head, and found himself lacking the energy to do it.  The tree trunk didn't even feel like a tree trunk anymore.  It was too soft, and too warm.  Against his will his eyelids drooped shut, and as he drifted off.  Tenchi could have sworn he felt someone wrap their arms around him...  

                "My Tenchi."

End Chapter Five


	6. Chapter 6 Part 1 & 2 : Know Thyself & C

Disclaimer - Tenchi and the crew are unfortunately not my property. I had no part in creating them, though I am desperately trying to figure out how to give myself Ryoko's abilities. I am not writing this for the purpose of making money, though if any kind souls see fit to give donations I will not complain. I am writing merely because I'm an obsessive person in general and I really need to get it out of my system. Mayhem is my creation however, and anyone using him without my OK will anger the Great Shaven Cat Goddess and cause her to sic her elite pack of Killer Llamas on you. Criticism is welcome, flames are ignored, praise will inflate my ego greatly, and make sure I actually finish this one-day. Enjoy.  
  
  
Many thanks to my talented editor, and fellow fanfic author, for his help in making this readable. THANK YOU DREZ!!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes  
  
Chapter Six, Part 1  
  
Know Thyself  
  
  
  
Washu swore colorfully as a long gash opened up along Tenchi's belly. Admittedly it was just one of many, but they just kept coming. If this continued for too much longer, or if the wounds got more severe, even the system she had him locked into wouldn't be able to keep up!  
  
  
"What the hell is going on in there!" Washu growled. Her hands a blur over her ethereal computer as she tried desperately to keep up with both Tenchi's growing list of injuries and Ryoko's deteriorating condition. "C'mon Ryoko-chan, I know you hate people poking around inside your head, but your going to kill him at this rate."  
  
  
That's when Washu's holo computer disappeared in a flash of light that nearly blinded the petite scientist. Blinking her eyes to try and clear the spots from her vision Washu brought up her back-up screen and cautiously reconnected it to the monitoring systems watching Tenchi.  
  
  
"He used the light hawk wings?!?" Washu exclaimed, frantically reinitializing her computers link to Ryoko's life support system. "Tenchi, if you've hurt my little girl any worse than she already is..." the threat trailed off as she looked at the readings in front of her in amazement. "It... it's helping... the rate of deterioration has slowed by 35.623 percent... She must be feeding off the energy!"  
  
  
Shaking her head, and filing that information away for later analysis, Washu got back to work, pausing only for seconds to check on Mayuka, still sleeping peacefully (thank god!) in one of Yukinojo's bedrooms, over the various ""baby monitors"" she had set up.  
  
  
"C'mon Tenchi, hurry!" she whispered.  
  
  
  
  
Tenchi couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this comfortable. He wanted nothing more than to stay just like he was. Totally relaxed, his head cushioned on a warm lap, gentle, delicate hands running idly through his hair. Her, he was sure it was a woman, scent was familiar, comforting, but at the same time managing to be exotic and intoxicating. He couldn't see who's lap it was, and he just couldn't seem to convince himself to open his eyes.  
  
  
"My Tenchi." the voice was familiar, feminine. It felt... right.  
  
  
But wasn't he supposed to be doing something? Tenchi's brow furrowed. He was supposed to find something. No, someone. Someone very important to him...  
  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi sat up with a shout. His eye's flying open just in time to see a ghostly figure of the girl he was looking for fade away like so much mist, her expression sad, longing.  
  
  
His eyes wide, Tenchi looked around at the scenery that surrounded him. All around him was a patchwork of different places. None quite in focus, and none quite lined up with any of the others. They did have one thing in common though; each and every piece of landscape looked like a bomb had hit it. A large bomb at that.  
  
  
It took a few seconds for the smell to register, but when it did Tenchi fell to his knees, retching. That's when he noticed the bodies. Thousands of them, millions of them, scattered about like so much garbage. Young and old, male and female, humanoid and others, there was no discrimination here. Their blurred, indistinct, features seemed to stare at him accusingly even in death.  
  
  
"What is this?" the young prince muttered to himself, shutting his eyes tightly to block out the sight. It helped, a little. Then he heard them. They were barely whispers. Carried on the wind. Or maybe they were the wind. He couldn't tell  
  
  
"Murderer." They accused. "Monster." They hissed at him from among the buildings. Screams of fear, of anger, of pain, and of death, echoed around him. From the skeletons of crumbling architecture they howled at him. The cries of people mourning their lost loved ones, of children for parents, and of mothers for their children. All of them gone forever.  
  
  
Tenchi's pressed his hands over his ears, curled himself into a tight fetal ball... and screamed.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Washu's hands were a blur over the keyboard of her computer. The screen was displaying two separate waveforms, one ice blue, the other a deep crimson. But they were starting to run together, the blue beginning to mimic the red.  
  
  
Cursing loudly Washu spun around and practically punched a large button set into the side of the capsule holding Tenchi's body. The response was immediate. The form inside the capsule convulsed violently, straining against the bonds that were holding it still, the mouth opening in a silent scream  
  
  
  
  
  
Suddenly Tenchi was screaming for a whole new reason, pain lancing white-hot across the whole of his body, sending him into convulsions. It lasted only seconds, felt like an eternity, and when it ended he couldn't do anything but lie limply on the ground for several minutes.  
  
  
"What the hell was that?" he gasped, pulling himself into a sitting position with a groan. It took him a second longer to notice the change. He could still hear the voices, but they weren't completely overwhelming like they had been. He could block them out with only a little effort. Getting unsteadily to his feet, Tenchi looked around the patchwork landscape again, looking for any clues as to what to do next.  
  
  
The song was so quiet at first that Tenchi wasn't sure if it was real or just his imagination running wild. The melody wavered in and out, right on the edge of hearing and in competition with the voices that were still muttering at him accusatorily. Closing his eyes tightly, Tenchi concentrated on the oddly familiar music.  
  
  
"That way." He muttered to himself, opening his eyes and setting off at a jog towards the sound. As it got louder the tune became more and more familiar, but Tenchi still couldn't place where he'd heard it before. Finally after crawling through the cratered, disjointed cityscape for what felt like an eternity, Tenchi stumbled into the courtyard of a massive cathedral. It rose above him in a series of delicate spires and arcs that looked too thin to supported their own weight. It was, in contrast to almost every other building he'd seem in the disjointed landscape, seemingly intact.  
  
  
As he approached the entrance he spotted a dark purple stain that he instinctively knew had to be blood, even if the color was not what he expected. Stepping carefully past the stain Tenchi followed the thread of song, louder now, down a dim passage way into a chamber large enough that it's roof and opposite wall were hidden in the darkness. The only light in the cavernous room emanated from a simple, if skillfully crafted wooden cradle about fifty meters away from him, down a series of steps.  
  
  
Making his way carefully down the wide steps Tenchi approached the cradle, the song becoming clearer and clearer with every step. Before long he was standing above the simple wooden cradle, looking down into it. Lying inside it, nestled carefully on the blankets inside was a gem. A twin for the one on Ryoko's wrist and the ones still embedded in the Tenchi-ken, it glowed crimson, almost vibrating with the song that emanated from it. Kneeling down, Tenchi carefully reached for the gem...  
  
  
  
  
  
Washu started in shock as the waveform that represented Tenchi's mind disappeared completely and without warning. One second it was there, the next gone.  
  
  
"Oh Kami... " Washu gasped. "Tenchi."  
  
  
  
  
  
She felt the oily grasp of her masters mind slip away from hers for the first time in months, leaving only a faint, distracted presence sitting in the back of her head. Surprised but pleased, Ryoko reveled in its absence. She briefly considered running, hiding, but quickly banished the thoughts from her mind and memory for fear that Kagato would notice it and punish her again. Besides, his touch would probably not be gone for long, and even that thin thread that was left would be enough to alert him of any such attempt.  
  
  
This time her mission didn't require her to fight anyone, simply to sneak in and steal a holy object from one of the larger temples. The primitives of this world had no way to stop her and no weapons that were of any threat to her. No need to fight, no need to kill. The thought was followed by a sense of relief that was almost enough to make her smile. Almost.  
  
  
Flying low over the simple thatch-roofed huts of the village below Ryoko sped silently towards the huge, fragile looking cathedral that dominated the skyline. As she approached it's glistening white spires and arches Ryoko realized that the structure was far beyond the capabilities of the local people. A relic of an age long past perhaps, or maybe built by visitors from another world. Either way, it at least partially explained Kagato's interest in whatever was inside.  
  
  
It didn't change a thing though. The job was still a simple one. Phase in, grab what she had come for, and leave. Simple.  
  
  
She slowed to a near hover as she approached the main wall of the building. Stretching out her senses for the source of power she knew lay just beyond. Nothing. Frowning slightly she tried again concentrating deeply. Still nothing. Shrugging Ryoko floated forward, and promptly hit her head on the very solid exterior of the building.  
  
  
"Owww..." Ryoko mumbled annoyed. "Well if I can't phase..." she muttered, and teleported.  
  
  
"Ouch." She groaned, peeling herself off the side of the building. "Dammit, how in the hell is this thing shielded!?" she growled angrily, igniting her sword. "Well take THIS!" she shouted, swinging at the wall. Her sword simply sputtered out when it hit, leaving the stone surface completely unmarked.  
  
  
"Guess I'll have to use a door." She sighed in defeat, letting herself sink to the ground. Landing silently she started walking around the buildings perimeter looking for an entrance. To her dismay there was only one on the entire structure. A simple arch, maybe twice as tall as she was, led to a similarly undecorated passageway maybe two-dozen meters long. She was maybe halfway down the passage when she felt it.  
  
  
That final, half-there tendril of Kagato's presence... vanished. No pain, no resistance, no nothing. It was simply gone. After a few seconds of stunned silence, Ryoko laughed. Laughed with a pure joy she hadn't felt in... well never. And she kept on laughing, finding herself unable to stop even as tears rolled down her cheeks, her stomach started to cramp up, and her legs gave way.  
  
  
"Well I must say, I don't think I'd have ever expected to see something like this." a soft voice, tinged with a trace of laughter, commented from nearby. "A demon in one of the great temples, overcome by something as simple as her own laughter. What a story this shall make."  
  
  
Ryoko looked up through tears of joy towards the source of the voice. An elegant looking woman stood at the end of the short passage, watching her with a kind smile on her face. Her skin was a blue so dark that it almost appeared black. Long, pure white hair fell down her back in an elegant cascade between the large, delicate, bat-like ears that dominated the sides of her head. Her lower pair of arms were crossed over her slim hips in a relaxed fashion. She clasped the upper pair in front of her in a gesture of greeting when Ryoko glanced up at her. Her garb was simple. A sleeveless, cream-colored dress that hung to her ankles, belted at the waist with a dark-blue sash.  
  
  
"Well seeing as you've come this far, you may as well enter the rest of the way." The woman continued, her smile still firmly in place.  
  
  
"A priestess inviting a demon into her temple..." Ryoko started, her voice unsteady from the laughter that was still trying to force its way out. "Are you sure that's wise?"  
  
  
"Wise or not, it is what I feel is right." The woman replied lightly. "And in any case, it is not my place to turn you away. The temple belongs to everyone who chooses to make use of it. Even the occasional demon." The last comment was thrown over the priestess's shoulder as she walked back the way she had come.  
  
  
  
  
  
No matter what she tried Washu couldn't find it. That simple, singular, mental signature that represented Tenchi's mind was simply gone. The only thing keeping his body alive at this point were the machines that engulfed it. Not even the shock that she had used earlier was getting anything more than a reflexive response.  
  
  
She could feel hot tears welling up, and she couldn't stop them. Two of the people she loved more than anything else in the universe were dying before her eyes and she felt so helpless...  
  
  
"NO!" she shouted angrily. "I won't let it happen! You are not going to die on me Tenchi! You're going to save my daughter and both of you are going to come back to me!" With that she open her link to Ryoko's mind, searching desperately for any trace of the young prince.  
  
  
  
  
  
Ryoko stepped into the main chamber of the temple cautiously, tears of laughter drying in streaks on her face. The room was almost as plain as the passageway that she had just left. Gleaming-white, seamless stone arced high above her. A plain dome, brightly lit by a crystalline ring of triangular lights about two thirds of the way up. The floor was a series of terraced rings, wide enough to be used comfortably as seats, but low enough to serve easily as stairs. And in the center stood what she had come to take.  
  
  
A plain wooden staff, gnarled and stained with age, stood seeming balanced on its end in the center of the chamber. Even from where she stood, a hundred meters away Ryoko could feel it humming with power. To her eyes it almost seemed to vibrate where it stood, singing a song that hung just beyond the edge of hearing.  
  
  
The priestess was sitting about halfway down the steps, a baby cradled in her lower pair of arms, singing. Her voice was a crystal clear alto, perfectly on key, and achingly beautiful. The song itself was simple, calming, comforting. Ryoko found herself humming along to it almost unconsciously, the tune almost immediately taking up permanent residence in her head despite the fact that she couldn't understand a word of it.  
  
  
"What's that song about?" she asked quietly as she started making her way slowly down the stairs towards the staff.  
  
  
The priestess shrugged her upper pair of arms, continuing to sing. When she finally let the song fade away she replied in a thoughtful voice. "I don't know." She said with a smile. "My mother used to sing it to me as a child. Perhaps one of the scholars could tell me, but I think I rather prefer not knowing."  
  
  
"Why?" Ryoko asked, still only about a quarter of the way down the steps.  
  
  
"Because not knowing what it's about I can assign any emotion I like to the song." The Priestess replied simply.  
  
  
Ryoko didn't really understand but she sensed that that was probably the best answer she was going to get out of the young woman.  
  
  
"Is the child yours?" Ryoko asked, more for the sake of talking than anything else.  
  
  
"Are all demons so full of questions?" the young priestess laughed. "No, I did not birth her. I am merely watching her for the night while her mother is away."  
  
  
Ryoko simply nodded in reply, not really sure what to say next.  
  
  
"I take it demons don't get much chance to practice the art of small talk?" the priestess observed after a long silence, her gentle smile still in place.  
  
  
"Do you have to keep calling me that?" Ryoko replied, now about halfway down the steps, less than three meters from the young woman's seat.  
  
  
"You mean demon? Well then, what would you prefer I call you?" the priestess replied casually, patting the place beside her to indicate that Ryoko should sit down.  
  
  
"Ryoko." She replied quietly, still standing.  
  
  
"Well then Ryoko, you may call me Tandra." The young priestess replied, her smile widening briefly. "Please, sit down. You look simply exhausted."  
  
  
"Why are you treating me so kindly?" Ryoko asked quietly, sitting down after a moment's hesitation. "You said yourself that I'm a demon."  
  
  
"Everyone is equal in this place Ryoko. Demon or angel. The highest kings to the lowliest peasant. Even God herself. That is why there is only one entrance. So everyone enters this place the same way as everyone else." Tandra replied kindly, reaching over to give Ryoko's shoulder a comforting squeeze.  
  
  
"But I'm dangerous!" Ryoko replied fiercely, the tears back again, though for a different reason than before.  
  
  
"How so?" Tandra replied, arching an eyebrow, her voice holding the slightest trace of amusement.  
  
  
"I can..." Ryoko's reply trailed off as she tried to form her sword and failed. She could feel the energy of the gems as clearly as ever... but she couldn't make use of it. Every time she tried it slipped from her grasp like water through a sieve.  
  
  
"As a said Ryoko," Tandra replied softly, "everyone is equal in this place."  
  
  
  
  
  
Washu stretched her mind as far into Ryoko's as she dared, looking for any trace of the young prince, and failing miserably. Far away she could feel the slightest hint of her daughters conscious self, but every time she tried to approach, Ryoko retreated deeper. And there was a curious echo that was complicating things even further, making it hard to focus.  
  
  
An echo? The answer struck the ancient scientist like a freight train and she hastily withdrew her mind from her daughters. Typing with renewed fervor she returned to the task at hand, trying hard to ignore the timer that counted steadily down towards zero in the corner of the screen.  
  
  
  
  
  
"I came here to steal that you know." Ryoko said after a few minutes, gesturing towards the staff that stood at the center of the room.  
  
  
"If you can take it, it's yours." Tandra replied absently as she laid the sleeping child in a simple wooden cradle and tucked her in.  
  
  
"What?" Ryoko replied, genuinely surprised. Most religious groups were practically fanatical about their holy relics. Yet this woman said she could take what amounted to the center of the temple with not so much as a hint of concern.  
  
  
"The staff of judgment decides it's own path." Tandra replied, looking Ryoko in the eyes. "This temple has been blessed that it has chosen to stay with us for so many millennia, but if it chooses to leave with you this night we will accept it."  
  
  
"You make it sound like that chunk of wood is sentient." Ryoko noted.  
  
  
"It is." Tandra replied with a shrug. "Maybe not in the same way as you or I, but it is."  
  
  
"So you're not going to try and stop me then?" Ryoko asked, eyeing the priestess suspiciously as she stood up. Tandra merely shook her head no, her soft smile firmly in place. Ryoko gave her one last curious glance, shrugged, and started towards the center of the room again.  
  
  
She could feel the power radiating from the staff almost as a physical force now. It was practically intoxicating to Ryoko's senses, and by the time she was within arms length she felt almost drunk from the staff's influence. Her head swimming she reached for it, her hand curling around wood polished smooth by the hands of generations, and lifted it easily from it's place.  
  
  
"I guess it's decided to come with me." Ryoko half-gloated, smirking at the still serene priestess. Then it hit her like the proverbial ton of bricks... she could see... everything. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head, and her body convulsed like she had stepped on a live wire.  
  
  
She could see through the eyes of everyone and everything in the city, from Tandra sitting mere yards away, to the mayor's pet cat, watching his master stumble half-asleep through the kitchen. She could hear every conversation, from the throaty whispers of lovers in their beds, to the intricate calls of insects competing for mates. She could smell the salty tang of sweat radiating from a teenage boy as he necked clumsily with his first girlfriend, and the sharp metallic smell of fresh spilled blood as an old man lost his life to a starving beggar turned robber. She could taste the sweetness of candy on her tongue as a child snuck a piece from her father's private stash in the middle of the night, and the bitter taste of medicine taken to fight off a lingering cold. She could feel the almost painful rasp of a newborns first screaming breathe... and the agony of childbirth as the newborns mother brought her twin brother into the world.  
  
  
And the emotions...oh Kami, the emotions! Joy, anger, hatred, love, mirth, wistfulness, excitement, curiosity, jealousy, lust, fear, disdain, sadness; emotions she didn't have names for. They overwhelmed her almost instantly, and she could feel herself slipping away.  
  
  
The staff clattered to the ground, slipping from Ryoko's numb fingers onto the polished wooden floor. The cyan haired girl remained standing where she was, her face turned to the ceiling, eyes wide open. Her mouth hung open and her breath came in shuddering gasps. Her cheeks were wet from tears again. Tears of joy, of anguish, of laughter, of fear, of pride, and of longing. Tears cried by hundreds of people throughout the city, and by Ryoko herself.  
  
  
Tandra descended the steps to where Ryoko stood unmoving, making no sound as she walked. Retrieving the staff from where it lay she returned it to its place at the center of the temple, her hands forming an intricate sign as she bowed reverently to it. That done she turned back to Ryoko, guiding the unresponsive girl back to where she had been sitting before with an ease born of long experience. It was nearly two hours before Ryoko recovered herself enough to talk again.  
  
  
"Wh... what happened?" the cyan-haired space pirate asked in a shaky voice.  
  
  
"The staff showed you as much as it could without harming you." Tandra replied. "It has been looking for someone who it can show all that it can see since before anyone can remember. When I made my attempt it showed me nearly a quarter of the city, and I held onto it for a little over ten minutes. Others have seen as few as a hundred other minds, or as much as half the country. But no-one has ever seen even a fraction of what it can see."  
  
  
  
  
"There you are..." Washu muttered under her breath as she carefully separated the echo she had noticed from the background clutter of Ryoko's mind. "Now what are you doing in there Tenchi?" Without warning the signal that she had so carefully extracted went haywire, becoming a thousand times more chaotic and scrambled than before.  
  
  
Trying to stay calm Washu looked desperately through her readings, but the pattern calmed back to what it had been before she could decipher anything from it. Quickly saving the data for future analysis, Washu turned her attention to figuring out what, if anything, she could do to get Tenchi out of the memory he was trapped in.  
  
  
  
  
"I've got to go now." Ryoko said in a quiet voice, getting unsteadily to her feet and turning towards the entrance of the temple.  
  
  
"Are you sure that's wise Ryoko?" Tandra asked. "That was quite a shock you just had... perhaps it would be better if you stayed and rested for a while longer. You are welcome to use my quarters for the night." The priestess offered.  
  
  
"No... thank you." Ryoko replied after a few seconds, not turning around. "I have to go before he comes for me."  
  
  
"Who?" Tandra asked softly.  
  
  
"Kagato." Ryoko replied, her voice slipping into a monotone. "My master. If he thinks that I tried to run away..." the cyan-haired girls voice trailed off, and she shuddered.  
  
  
"We can protect you." Tandra offered, concerned by Ryoko's behavior.  
  
  
"If only that were true." Ryoko whispered, starting towards the temple's entrance again. The temple was powerful, she had felt that power herself... but it was nothing compared to the might of her masters battleship, the Souja.  
  
  
"Well Ryoko, did you have a nice vacation?" the voice chilled her to the bone. He stood in the archway, tall and imposing, a nasty, superior, smirk firmly entrenched on his face.  
  
  
"Kagato." Ryoko breathed, rooted to where she stood by fear.  
  
  
"I must say, I am very disappointed in you my dear." The tall man said, looking at her over the top of his glasses. "You haven't figured out how to neutralize this temple's dampening field yet have you? And it's such a simple little thing. I really wish you wouldn't force me to do these things to you Ryoko, but how else will you ever learn?" Kagato asked, and before Ryoko could do anything in response she felt the oily grasp of his mind invade hers, robbing her of control over her body.  
  
  
"Ah Ryoko, what is this? What have I told you about talking with the locals? This simply will not do." Ryoko pleaded with him mentally, she knew what he was going to make her do, but he just ignored her.  
  
  
Ryoko's body turned to face Talia, an evil sneer twisting her features, and leaped. The dampening field the Temple generated may have seriously reduced her strength and speed, but she was still dozens of times stronger and several times faster than any normal human. Talia didn't even have a chance to shout before Ryoko's hands closed around the priestess's throat, and squeezed.  
  
  
  
  
  
Washu watched the pattern on her screen representing Tenchi worriedly, whatever the young prince was seeing in Ryoko's memories... it couldn't be pleasant. "Hold on Tenchi, I'll have you out of that memory in just a few more seconds..." she muttered, her fingers a blur above the keyboard of her holotop. With a last stab at the enter key the pattern being displayed flashed from red to blue and started to smooth out.  
  
  
  
  
  
The vision disappeared in a flash, the gem he had picked up falling from numb fingers onto the marble floor of the temple around him. Dazed and disoriented, Tenchi fell to his knees; his face streaked with tears and his breath was coming in ragged sobs. He'd known that Ryoko had been forced to do some terrible things in the past but... he could still feel the priestesses' throat in his hands... starting to collapse... Tenchi's stomach lurched, and he curled up into a ball until the nausea passed.  
  
  
"I didn't want you to see that." The voice was quiet, mournful. He would've recognized it anywhere.  
  
  
"Ryoko?" the young prince asked, his head snapping up to look at the source of those quiet words. What he saw was an apparition. A ghostly figure sitting with her arms around her knees less than two meters away, her expression sad and forlorn.  
  
  
"Why are you here Tenchi?" Ryoko's ghostly form asked, her voice quiet, defeated, tired, completely unlike the Ryoko Tenchi was used to.  
  
  
"To save you!" Tenchi blurted out, not sure of what else to say.  
  
  
"I'm dead Tenchi." Ryoko responded, "I'm happy I could see you one last time... but you need to leave before you're trapped. Mayuka is going to need her father." She added, a sad smile gracing her features for a brief second.  
  
  
"No you're not Ryoko! " Tenchi snapped, the way Ryoko was talking was starting to scare him. "Washu can save you, you just need to wake up!"  
  
  
"Wake up?" Ryoko responded, confused.  
  
  
"Washu can save you." Tenchi explained, trying to keep his voice calm. "But you need to be conscious for it to work." The young prince explained, reaching a hand out towards Ryoko's ghostly form.  
  
  
"What makes her think I can just wake up?" Ryoko asked, ignoring Tenchi's outstretched hand.  
  
  
"Please Ryoko... try" Tenchi asked in a quiet, pleading, voice, letting his hand drop.  
  
  
"Why should I!" Ryoko shouted, standing up quickly and turning away from him.  
  
  
"Wh..." Tenchi started, surprised... now that was a response he hadn't been expecting.  
  
  
"You've seen it now! You've seen what my life has been like!" Ryoko shouted, tears in her eyes as she whirled around to face him again. "The only time in the five thousand years I've been alive that I have been happy has been these past few years with you!"  
  
  
"But those days are gone Ryoko." Tenchi said, bewildered. "You said it yourself, you've been happy these past few years."  
  
  
"For how long though!" Ryoko nearly wailed. "How long until you choose someone else and I'm all alone again!? Just let me die and find my peace!"  
  
  
"Who said I was going to pick someone else?" Tenchi demanded, "And even if I did, why would you be alone? You have a family now Ryoko! All of us love you!." Ryoko didn't respond, refusing to meet his eyes.  
  
  
"Please Ryoko... just try." Tenchi pleaded, standing and taking a step towards her. "I'm not going to leave until you do."  
  
  
Ryoko's head snapped up to look at Tenchi with narrowed eyes. "That's not fair and you know it Tenchi." She hissed angrily.  
  
  
"I'm not going to let you die Ryoko." Tenchi replied, meeting her glare without so much as a flinch.  
  
  
Washu nearly collapsed in relief when Ryoko's eye's snapped open, the pain she was in easily apparent. Fighting back tears the diminutive scientist immediately started the procedure she had spent most of the trip to the planet putting together. She watched anxiously as the masu filling the tube swarmed towards her daughter, flowing into her wounds and replacing the lost and dead tissue more rapidly than any technique she could have developed. She almost didn't notice when the cylinder holding Tenchi opened and the dark-haired youth pulled himself out, quickly wrapping the towel she had provided around his waist.  
  
  
"How is she?" he asked breathlessly, coming up behind Washu.  
  
  
"She's going to live." Washu responded, "Now go check on your own daughter, she woke up a few minutes ago and Yukinojo is about to fry a circuit."  
  
  
"Alright... how long..." Tenchi responded, his voice trailing off.  
  
  
"About six hours." Washu answered. "Oh, and Tenchi..."  
  
  
"Yes Washu?"  
  
  
"Thank you."  
  
  
  
  
  
Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes  
  
Chapter Six, Part 2  
  
Closing the Net  
  
  
  
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Keith whispered in Ayeka's ear. "This place is just a bit more high-profile than I'm normally comfortable with." He added, waving an arm to indicate the lavishly decorated lobby of the Grand Jurai hotel.  
  
  
"At this point we would likely attract more attention if we were to go to anything but this Hotel." Ayeka whispered back. "After that mess at the ice-cream parlor it would surprise me if there was anyone on the planet who didn't know we were here."  
  
  
"It's not my fault that you guys disguised me as the 10-year running Jurian Light-Sword Tournament champion." Keith pointed out.  
  
  
"I didn't know he was." Ayeka replied, a bit sheepishly.  
  
  
Keith didn't get a chance to reply as the hotels manager hurried up to their party. "Princess Ayeka, Princess Sasami, Lord Seriyou, Lord..." the manager trailed off, obviously desperately trying to place a name to Katsuhito's face.  
  
  
"Katsuhito." He supplied, smiling to let the harried looking man know that he wasn't offended.  
  
  
"Welcome to the Grand Jurai Hotel." The manager greeted, bowing low to each of them in turn. "We will have the Emperor Suite ready for you in just a few minutes, we just need to move its present tenants..."  
  
  
"You will do no such thing." Ayeka interrupted, making the manager flinch a bit. "The sentiment is appreciated Sir, but whatever suite is open will do just fine." Smiling gently to let the frazzled looking man that she wasn't upset she added, "I am not so spoiled that I would ruin someone else's vacation for something as silly as a hotel room."  
  
  
"But Lady Ayeka," the Manager started to protest, looking to Keith for supported.  
  
  
"Whatever is available will do fine." Keith confirmed, shooting the man a grin. "I'm certainly not going to argue with her." He added shrugging helplessly. Ayeka threw him a dark look before turning back to the defeated-looking manager.  
  
  
"Now, if you don't mind good Sir, it has been something of a long day. If you would be so kind as to show us to our room."  
  
  
  
  
  
On the busy streets surrounding the Grand Jurai hotel, a dozen armored transports, the GP logo emblazoned prominently one their sides, sped towards their target. Inside the behemoths, dozens of officers in full riot gear listened to the briefing that was playing over their headsets.  
  
  
"Alright men listen up. We have confirmed that Lord Seiryou was on Jurai as of this morning, meaning that the man presently staying at the Grand Jurai is an imposter. On top of that, according to our sources, the imposter is most likely Class-A Criminal Mayhem. Our sources indicate that he and his gang somehow survived the destruction of his vessel, and stole a resident officers ship... after killing her and her partner." The voice paused, and officers in every transport exchanged nervous glances with each other. The standing orders concerning Mayhem were clear. Shoot first, and shoot to kill. As nothing short of a lethal shot was supposed to slow the guy down.  
  
  
"There is unfortunately one more piece of tragic news. The planet that he was forced down on... was the temporary residence of the crown Princesses Jurai. It saddens me to report that both are confirmed to be dead... killed in our targets escape." There were shocked murmurs and gasps as the officers heard the news. After giving them a moment to absorb this information, the briefing continued "Now the plan of attack is being displayed on your combat decks... study them well because we don't have any time to do milk runs on this one people."  
  
  
  
  
  
The heavy wooden door of the "Princess" Suite closed behind the last of the bellhops, maids, and other assorted staff with a loud thunk, and the group let out sighs of relief in near perfect unison. Sasami made a beeline for the overstuffed ring-shaped couch that dominated the center of the main room and flopped down, yawning hugely.  
  
  
"I see someone's tired." Keith commented with a grin, after taking out the device that had been altering his voice all day.  
  
  
Sasami replied by sticking her tongue out at him, smiling. Keith chuckled and quickly removed the various components of the disguise, leaving him in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt.  
  
  
"Ah... that's better." he sighed with relief as he draped the heavy Jurian robes that had been covering up his normal clothes over the back of a chair.  
  
  
"Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I think Sasami's got the right idea, I'm exhausted." Kiyone announced.  
  
  
"Me too." Mihoshi yawned in agreement, her big blue eyes already half closed as she and her partner half-stumbled towards the door to one of the bedrooms.  
  
  
"I believe I shall retire as well." Katsuhito added, claiming one of the other four bedrooms for himself. "Sasami, if you fall asleep on the couch your going to be sore all day tomorrow."  
  
  
"Hai." Sasami replied sleepily, standing up and walking towards one of the bedrooms.  
  
  
"You guys get some sleep then, I have a few things I want to check out." Keith responded, heading for the door. "I'm going to see if I can get a hold of a few of my contacts, see if they've heard anything unusual."  
  
  
"Are you sure that is a good idea?" Ayeka asked, a slight hint of concern in her voice.  
  
  
"Why Princess, don't tell me you're actually worried about me." Keith responded, turning around to throw her a grin.  
  
  
"Hardly." Ayeka replied with a smirk of her own. "I would just rather not have to break you out of prison tonight." Keith rolled his eyes in response.  
  
"See you guys later." Keith said, listening for a second at the door before slipping out the heavy hardwood door.  
  
  
  
  
  
Keith hadn't made it more than five meters down the hallway when he heard it... the distinct triple-click of a personal holocamera. Swearing under his breath he spun around, covering the distance to the far wall in three strides. Forming his fingertips into thick claws, he unceremoniously dug them into the wall around a decent sized air-vent and tore it out of place.  
  
  
"AHHH!!!" Kanno screamed as Keith pulled him out of the vent by his shirt collar. "Oh Tsunami, please don't kill me, pleasepleasepleaseplease." The young man babbled. "I won't tell anyone, I swear."  
  
  
"Shut up before I rip your tongue out kid." Keith snarled, letting his face go slightly feral just for the added effect.  
  
  
  
  
"Are you in position?" Lord Heero's smooth voice, only slightly distorted by the headset, spoke into her ear.  
  
  
"Yes Lord Karishima." She replied, tucking a stray lock of midnight-black hair behind one long ear. "At your command."  
  
  
"Excellent work my dear. Wait until the police enter the building before you make your move. Other than that, I leave everything to your own discretion."   
  
  
"Thank you my lord."  
  
  
  
  
  
Ayeka was sitting on one of the overstuffed couches that dominated the suite, idly flipping through the hundreds of channels that the holo-TV had access to. She had shed the heavy outer kimono she had been wearing. It was a winter kimono, and she had been all but boiling all day because of it, despite the absence of any of the normal layers underneath it. This left her lounging in the khaki shorts and purple t-shirt that were all she had been wearing underneath. For whatever reason, she couldn't convince herself to go to bed, despite the fact that she was exhausted from the past few days events. She nearly fell off the couch in alarm when the door to the suite flew open and a rather scary looking version of Keith stormed in, dragging a frightened young man behind him.  
  
  
"What happened?" she asked, surprised. "Who is that man?"  
  
  
"A fucking reporter." Keith growled, kicking the door shut before dragging the frightened young man over to a chair and shoving him down into it.  
  
  
"Oh Tsunami." Ayeka sighed, rubbing her temples in a decent impression of Kiyone.  
  
  
"No kidding." Keith snorted, his grimace displaying a mouthful of very sharp teeth. "The question is, what the hell are we going to do with him." Kanno nearly passed out at the look Keith shot at him when he said this.  
  
  
"First off Ke..." Ayeka started.  
  
  
"DON'T use my real name in front of other people Princess." Keith snapped, interrupting her and making her flinch slightly.  
  
  
"Fine then MAYHEM." She snapped back, her tone icy. "First off, stop scaring the poor man... not to mention me."  
  
  
Keith looked at her in surprise, catching her scent and noticing the slight tinge of fear that colored it. "Ah Christ." He muttered, forcing himself to calm down and letting his features return to normal. "Sorry `bout that Ayeka."  
  
  
"Just don't do it again." Ayeka replied, her voice still a bit icy, but her scent losing the tinge of fear. "Now as for you," she began, turning her gaze towards the now slightly confused form of Kanno, "you are the young man from the ice-cream parlor, are you not." Despite how the sentence was phrased, it wasn't a question.  
  
  
Kanno nodded his head in confirmation, still watching Keith warily.  
  
  
"What is your name?" Ayeka asked, trying to put as much warmth into her voice as possible.  
  
  
"K-Kanno." He replied, his voice unsteady from nerves. "A-are you really the Crown Princess?" he asked , his gaze darting nervously between her and Keith.  
  
  
"I am." Ayeka confirmed.  
  
  
"Then why..." Kanno's voice trailed off nervously as he glanced back at Keith.  
  
  
"That is a long story I am afraid." Ayeka sighed. "Suffice it to say, Mr. Mayhem here is not what everyone accuses him of being. Even if his social skills could use some work." She added with a slight smirk.  
  
  
"Gee. Thanks." Keith deadpanned in response, sticking his tongue out the violet tressed princess before returning his gaze to Kanno, his silver-green eyes fixing the young reporter with a hard glare. "Have you reported anything to anyone yet?" he asked the young man, his voice harsh, almost a growl.  
  
  
"On-only the pictures I took at the ice-cream parlor." Kanno replied nervously, still watching Keith fearfully despite Ayeka's reassurances.  
  
  
"Well that's something at least." Keith muttered. "Well Ayeka, any ideas on what we should do with this guy?"  
  
  
"Well, unless you happen to have someplace we can hide him for a few weeks..." Ayeka started, shooting Keith a questioning glance. When he shook his head no she continued, "then I suppose we will have to take him with us." She finished with a sigh.  
  
  
Keith couldn't resist. "Wouldn't that be kidnapping Princess?" he teased. "Hardly appropriated for someone of your station don't you think?"  
  
  
"Kidnapping?" Ayeka replied in a mock-offended voice. "I am most certainly not going to stoop to your level Mr. Mayhem. I shall simply have Kiyone and Mihoshi place our guest under protective custody."  
  
  
Keith laughed, and Kanno sunk even farther into the overstuff chair, a look of doom on his face.  
  
  
  
  
  
At the entrance of the hotel, armored transports screeched to a halt, and GP troops poured out and into the brightly lit lobby. They looked like ants from her position on the roof. She grinned coldly as she watched them scurry far below. She was tempted to wait until they were in the suite as well before making her move... but that would probably displease Lord Heero. Ah well, it would be a pretty explosion either way. Grinning, she pressed down on the small button on her bracelet, and the top floor of the opposite tower bloomed into white-hot flames.  
  
  
End Chapter Six 


	7. Chapter 7 : Close Encounters

Disclaimer - Tenchi and the crew are unfortunately not my property. I had no part in creating them, though I am desperately trying to figure out how to give myself Ryoko's abilities. I am not writing this for the purpose of making money, though if any kind souls see fit to give donations I will not complain. I am writing merely because I'm an obsessive person in general and I really need to get it out of my system. Mayhem is my creation however, and anyone using him without my OK will anger the Great Shaven Cat Goddess and cause her to sic her elite pack of Killer Llamas on you. Criticism is welcome, flames are ignored, praise will inflate my ego greatly, and make sure I actually finish this one-day. Enjoy.  
  
Many thanks to my talented editor, and fellow fanfic author, for his help in making this readable. THANK YOU DREZ!!!!  
  
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Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes  
Chapter 7  
Close Encounters  
  
  
"She has been like that for nearly half an hour Lady Funaho." The young guard whispered nervously. "She won't respond to anything... we didn't know what else to do." He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders helplessly.  
  
"You did the right thing." Funaho reassured, giving the nervous young man an encouraging smile. "I'll see to her, you just go back to your duties, I will call if we need anything." With that the guard bowed, turned and resumed his normal patrol, but the worried looked remained fixed on his face.  
  
Entering the spacious office quietly, the elegant woman called out softly, "Misaki? Sister? Are you alright?" Upon hearing her "sisters" voice, the usually hyperactive captain of the guard, spun her chair around, revealing her tear-streaked face.  
  
"I failed them." She whispered, choking back a sob.  
  
"Failed who sister?" Funaho asked quietly kneeling down in front of the distraught woman. Unable to say anymore Misaki merely handed the violet haired woman a small computer pad, pressing play as Funaho took it in hand.  
  
The hologram that popped into being was fuzzy and distorted, but easily recognizable as a former member of the royal guard who had left his position to join the GP in order to pursue the murderer of her husbands brother. After a moments thought she managed to recall the man's name, Heero.   
  
"My Lady Misato, I regret having to report to you this tragedy in such a manner, but I cannot at this time break off my pursuit of my quarry lest he slip away completely, and I thought it best that you receive the news from someone loyal to the Royal family rather than by way of a messenger." The hologram paused, the figure seemingly struggling with how to proceed. "As you no doubt have heard, the criminal, Mayhem, was pursued to a remote colony world, where he was reported killed."   
  
"Taking to heart how previous such reports have turned out, I proceeded to the planet on my own to confirm the report." The small figure paused again, a delicate hand going up to nervously run through its long blonde hair. "I only learned that the planet was the current residence of the Crown Princess's shortly before I arrived... and I must report with a heavy heart... that I was to late. When I arrived the residence was little more than a crater. And I found the wreckage of one of the two GP cruisers assigned to the planet in orbit around the planets moon." He paused again, the head dropping, seemingly in shame, before continuing on. "I was ambushed shortly after that by the other missing patrol ship, my ship was seriously wounded before I was able to raise my shields, and the fiend fled before I could return fire."  
  
Funaho could feel tears running hotly down her face as she sat back heavily on the rooms plush carpet, just barely holding onto the pad as it continued to deliver the grim message. "Unable to effectively pursue or send a message because of the damage my ship sustained, I made the decision to land and look for any trace of survivors. I found none, but I was able to identify the remains of ten individuals. Most weren't in my ships database, but I was able to confirm the identities of Princess Ayeka and Princess Sasami, as well as the ex-pirate Ryoko and a Professor Washu. I have attached a full report of the evidence collected and other details to the message. I am sorry My Lady... I swear I will bring the animal before you, alive if possible." With that the message ended, the pad slipped from Funaho's nerveless fingers, and the two sisters hugged each other in mourning.  
  
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"What the hell was that?!" Kiyone shouted, bursting out of the bedroom she had been sharing with Mihoshi wearing a nightshirt and not much else, her pistol in hand and ready. Mihoshi followed a second later wearing a pair of loose sweats and one of her seemingly endless supply of pink tank-tops, still half asleep but her pistol also in hand. Sasami and Katsuhito soon followed.  
  
"Someone just blew up the Emperors suite." Keith replied, cursing under his breath as he stared across the gap between the hotels two towers at the burning top floor.  
  
"What? Why?" Sasami cried looking at the devastated floor in shock.  
  
"They undoubtedly thought that was where we were." Katsuhito responded grimly.  
  
Keith strode over to the window and glanced down. "We're surrounded."  
  
"Now what do we do?" Ayeka asked worriedly.  
  
"The roof." Keith replied curtly, turning away from the window and sprinting for the door. "Kiyone, your with me... everyone else grab what you can and meet us there in five!" he shouted behind him, grabbing Kiyone by the wrist and dragging her behind him.  
  
"But I'm not even dressed!" the emerald haired detective protested as she was dragged out the door.  
  
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"What are we doing up here?" Kiyone asked as they sprinted up the short stairwell up to the roof, self consciously tugging her suddenly too-short nightshirt down.  
  
"Getting a ride." Keith responded, "There's a hover-car heading for the roof of this tower."  
  
"Did it ever occur to you that it might be a police vehicle?" Kiyone hissed in response.  
  
"To quiet." Keith responded, coming to a halt in front of the roof door and testing the knob. "Locked." He muttered, reaching into his coat for the pistol hidden there.  
  
"I'll take care of the lock." Kiyone hissed, watching him pull out the gun with a bit of surprise. "That primitive little firecracker of yours will make to much damned noise." She added, pushing him out of the way and playing with a few controls on her GP energy pistol. "So do you have a plan or are we just going to charge out guns blazing." She asked, more than a hint of sarcasm coloring her tone of voice.  
  
"We wait until the cars close enough to cover any noise we make, I'll distract them, you get the car when it touches down." He responded with a shrug.  
  
"And if there's more than one person up there? She asked, raising her voice a bit to be heard over the sound of the approaching hover vehicle.  
  
"Improvise."  
  
"Great." The green haired detective muttered under her breath, pointing her pistol at the lock.  
  
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She smiled cruelly as the fire consuming what was left of opposite towers top floor started to spread downward and people started pouring out of the hotels front door, only to be stopped by the hundreds of police already forming a thick wall around the hotel.  
  
She felt a slight surge of admiration over that little detail orchestrated by her lord. Even if any of her prey had been missed, they would find it difficult to get through that mass of uniforms without hindrance. Her little fire wouldn't spread very fast and would be relatively easy to put out, after all, she had designed it that way. It would help limit the confusion and prevent anyone from taking advantage of it to get away. Undoubtedly, every one of the senior officers and detectives involved in the operation were in her lords service as well, and would plant and lose evidence as was appropriate. With a satisfied smirk, she packed up the last of her equipment and turned to face the incoming hover car, her heavy cloak blowing dramatically in the wind generated by its engines.  
  
It was no more than ten feet off the roofs surface when the door leading into the hotel slammed open, smoke pouring from a hole where the lock used to be. Throwing the heavy case that held her equipment towards the landing hover car, she reached inside her cloak to grab the pistol holstered there even as a dark shape sprinted from the open door, several loud cracks echoing from the pistol in its hand. The shots were only loosely aimed at her, but forced her to dive for cover behind a nearby air conditioning unit.  
  
"Should I abort?" the voice of the car's pilot spoke into her ear through her headset.  
  
"NO!" She shouted in response, peeking around the corner to squeeze off a few blasts. "Retrieve the case, then you can pull out, not before."  
  
"Yes Ma'am... he's charging!" Responding to the warning she pulled a long knife from her belt even as she stood up to fire at the man charging her position.  
  
"Damn he's fast." She snarled as her target went into a quick roll to avoid her first few blasts, and then kicked out of it into a leap that no Jurian could have pulled off without some sort of enhancement. He was within ten feet of her when one of the blasts connected with a flash and a puff of greasy smoke. The grin that started to form on her face turned into a look of disbelief when he kept coming.  
  
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The small black hover vehicle came to a rest on the hotels roof with a soft thunk, and he fumbled nervously with his harness even as he threw open the door. Getting the straps undone after a few seconds of effort, he pulled himself out of his seat and pulled off his headset, hastily throwing it onto the seat behind him as he spotted the case he had been ordered to retrieve and ran towards it.  
  
He never even felt the stun bolt that dropped him onto the roof in a limp sprawl.  
  
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Her pistol went skittering across the roof as her target tackled her to the ground, cursing she brought her knife up with a hard shove, burying the razor-sharp point into his belly and up under his ribs. She grinned in satisfaction as he yelled in pain, spitting up blood from the lung her knife had punctured. After seeing him take the hit from her blaster she probably shouldn't have been surprised when he still managed to strike out with a hard right cross that caught her on the jaw, knocking her out and making the hood of her cloak fall back. Even as her world went dark she could see the expression of her opponent go from fierce bloodlust to one of complete and utter shock.   
  
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Kiyone jogged over to where Keith had tackled his opponent, blaster at the ready, even as the rest of the group, minus Katsuhito, poured onto the roof.  
  
"Keith!" she barked, holstering her pistol when she realized that the woman was unconscious. "Are you alright? We need to go, NOW!"  
  
When he didn't respond, continuing to stare at the limp form of his opponent in shock. She stepped closer; glancing at the sprawled form he was kneeling beside. She was actually rather attractive the teal-haired detective noted absently, but she couldn't see anything about the woman that should be getting this kind of response out of her new companion. That's when she noticed the blood, and the charred patch on Keith's shoulder. "Dammit, he's in shock." She muttered, quickly kneeling beside him and putting his arm over her shoulders.  
  
"Someone get over her and help me with this guy!" She shouted towards the rest of the group, as she pulled them to their feet with a grunt, staggering under the weight of Keith's surprisingly heavy form. Ayeka was there only a few seconds later, getting the other side of the young man and putting his other arm over her own shoulder.  
  
"Is he alright?" Ayeka asked worriedly, grunting a bit from the exertion as they half-helped, half dragged Keith towards the waiting hover car.  
  
"He's lost a lot of blood, but I can't see any open wounds on him." Kiyone responded. "I guess his healing power is as effective as he made it out to be. MIHOSHI, I'm driving! You get in the passenger side!" she shouted ahead as the blonde detective started to climb into the car.  
  
"Where's Lord Katsuhito?" Kiyone asked Ayeka as they got within ten feet of the car, raising her voice to be heard over its engines.  
  
"He and that reporter are staying behind." Ayeka responded, smiling briefly at Sasami in thanks as the young girl held open the rear passenger door for them.  
  
"Why?" Kiyone asked as they manhandled Keith into the car.  
  
"My Brother did not say." Ayeka responded climbing into the car beside Keith and looking worriedly at his fading wounds. "But I trust him, and I am sure he has a plan. He always does." She added, a small smirk accompanying the remark.  
  
"If you say so." Kiyone replied with a sigh, closing the door and climbing into the drivers seat, slipping on the headset that was lying there. Turning around just as Sasami climbed in the other side, she did a quick headcount to make sure they weren't leaving behind anyone who didn't want to stay, and pushed the throttle forward and the sleek little car lifted of the roof and sped away into the night, flying right underneath the first of a swarm of arriving firefighting vehicles on their way to combat the blaze.   
  
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"What the hell is going on?" Kanno asked fearfully. His voice colored by confusion and fear as he followed the elderly gentleman down one of the emergency stairwells.  
  
"Explanations will wait until our situation is less hurried young man." Katsuhito responded in an even tone. "Now tell me," he asked conversationally, stopping on a landing in order to fiddle with something at his wrist, "How do I look?" With that his habitual disguise dissolved to reveal a handsome young man not much older than Kanno.  
  
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Ayeka carefully pulled Keith's unresponsive form into a reclining position, his head on her lap. With a barely audible sigh, the young mans eyes drifted shut and his form relaxed a little. Absently brushing some of the boy's shaggy mop of hair out of his eyes, Ayeka noticed a gleam of gold peeking out from under his shirt collar. Curious, the young princess pulled it out so she could take a good look. Hanging from a thin gold chain was a simple cross, and on either side of the cross were two equally simple gold bands, one noticeably larger and thicker than the other. She gasped slightly when she realized what the two rings probably were.  
  
"What is it Ayeka?" Sasami asked, looking at her older sister curiously. Ayeka looked over at her younger sister, clad in a nightshirt and a pair of sweatpants that she had pulled on for modesties sake, and thought for a second about how to answer the question without telling Sasami anything Keith might not want her to know.  
  
"They're wedding rings." Keith answered before Ayeka could think of what to say, his voice low, barely more than a mumble. "The Cross is a religious symbol, an old present from my parents."  
  
"You're married?" Sasami asked, her voice betraying her surprise.  
  
" I was." Keith replied tiredly, gently taking the necklace out of Ayeka's hand and looking at it with sad eyes. "I told you about Talia didn't I?"  
  
"She was your wife?" Sasami asked, her big eyes positively full with sympathy.  
  
"Mmm-hmm." Keith replied absently, tucking the necklace back under his shirt. "Satoshima bought her while I was being trained, and then he bought me. We escaped together... and things just sorta happened." Keith finished with a small, wistful smile, his eyes drooping shut.  
  
"What happened to her?" Sasami asked quietly, biting her lip a bit worriedly.  
  
"She died a little more than a year ago during a raid by some Jurian Military and GP." Keith replied, a bit curtly.  
  
"I'm so sorry." Sasami replied, with a sniff, her voice small.  
  
"There's nothing for you to be sorry about Kid." Keith replied with a sigh, opening one eye to look down towards the blue-haired princess.   
  
"But you said there were Jurian soldiers..." Sasami started to respond, her voice trailing off.  
  
"You weren't the one who sent those soldiers after me Sasami." Keith replied. "That was Heero's idea, and I don't blame anyone for what happened but him. Even the soldiers were just following orders." Keith said with a sigh.   
  
"Old memories aside," Ayeka interrupted in a gentle voice, looking down at Keith questioningly, "How are you feeling?"  
  
"...I just lost a lot of blood, she was a hell of a lot faster than I though she'd be." Keith replied after a moment's hesitation, refusing to meet the elder of the two princesses gaze. "Give me a while to rest and get some food in me and I'll be back to my normal self in no time."  
  
"Are you sure?" Ayeka asked worriedly.  
  
"Yes." Keith replied quickly. "Yes, I'm sure."  
  
"But you were..." Ayeka started to reply.  
  
"Princess." Keith interrupted before she could say anything else. "Just drop it... please."  
  
"... Very well." Ayeka agreed with a sigh, blushing a bit when Keith resettled his head to a slightly more comfortable position on her lap, his eyes drifting closed again.  
  
"You know what Ayeka?" Keith mumbled.  
  
"What Mr. Mayhem?" she replied, resisting the urge to squirm when his breath brushed across the part of her upper leg exposed by the khaki shorts she was wearing.  
  
"You make a nice pillow." He finished, grinning a bit. Sasami giggled, and Ayeka's blush darkened about ten shades.  
  
"Hey Keith!" Kiyone called back, her tone a bit amused as well, "Before you go back to sleep, any ideas about what we should do next? I already checked with the Yagami, and she's says she's swarming with GP."  
  
"Somehow I'm not surprised." Keith replied with a yawn. "There's another spaceport about three hundred kilometers due south of here, head for it."  
  
"What's down there?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"Just someone who owes me a couple of favors." Keith replied. "Wake me up when we get there."  
  
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Katsuhito strode calmly and confidently through the crowded city streets, a much more nervous looking young man trailing closely behind him. When they were well away from the mob of police and firefighters that had surrounded the Grand Jurai, Kanno turned to the older man and took a long look, trying to place the naggingly familiar face. They had gone nearly ten blocks before he figured it out.  
  
"Yosho!" the young reporter exclaimed in surprise. "The lost Prince of Jurai!"  
  
"I don't recall being lost." Yosho responded calmly. "I know exactly where I've been."  
  
"Well no-one else did!" Kanno retorted heatedly, too upset by the night's events to remember the proper forms of address.  
  
"Well then, I suppose that makes this quite an opportunity for a young reporter such as yourself doesn't it." Katsuhito replied, his trademark smirk firmly in place. "So you do a little favor for me and I'll make sure you get an exclusive interview not only with me, but with my sister as well, at least in regards to the details surrounding tonight's events."   
  
"Exclusive interviews..." Kanno trailed off, a slightly glazed look on his face as he pondered exactly how much of a boost that would be to his career. "What do I have to do?"  
  
"I'll explain shortly, but for the moment I'd simply like to put as much distance between us and the hotel as possible." Katsuhito replied curtly, continuing his way down the street, his unconcerned manner at odds with his words.  
  
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It was a familiar dream, and a pleasant one while it lasted. He'd been having it off and on for over a year now. The nightclub could have been any one of dozens he'd been in for one reason or another over the past few years. The music was more a throbbing beat that you felt through the soles of your feet than anything else. The crowd was equally nondescript, faceless bodies thrashing wildly to the deep bass pulse, made even more surreal by the flashing lights and drifting smoke. And in the center of the chaos... Talia. Lithe body following the music with considerably more grace than most of those around her, her barely-there layer of fur catching the lights and making her seem to glow as her wild mane of raven hair moved about her head like a living thing.  
  
He'd simply watch her, waiting for the moment that they'd catch each other's eyes and she'd slow the rhythm of her dance to something more inviting, holding his gaze with her silver eyes as a seductive smile played across red lips. He'd stand entranced, approaching her in a daze when she beckoned for him. Wrapping his arms around her slim form, he'd pull her against him, burying his face in her hair and breathing in her scent.  
  
"Hello Pet." Keith murmured, savoring the feel of her as she pressed herself against him, her own slim arms going around his waist.  
  
"Hello yourself Hun." Talia murmured in return. "It's been a while, I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me." She teased, leaning back just far enough to let them look each other in the eyes.  
  
"It'll never happen Lia'ne." Keith responded, brushing his lips against hers. "You will always be a part of me, and I a part of you." He grinned, "That was the whole point of the bonding wasn't it?"  
  
Talia grinned and kissed him back, laughing softly. "I'm glad to see you were actually listening. With the way you were staring at me during the whole affair I would've sworn you didn't hear a thing I said." She mocked.  
  
"You can hardly blame me for staring Pet." Keith countered, "But I took everything you said to heart."  
  
"Good." Talia sighed happily. "Now tell me, who is she?" the question was accompanied by a wicked grin as she looked him full in the eyes.  
  
"Wha...?" Keith sputtered in response, trying desperately to figure out how to respond, and completely helpless to escape her gaze. Talia laughed, pulling him down for a kiss.  
  
"The purple haired girl Hun, I know you like her..." she said with a grin, "I don't mind, I know you're not going to forget about me, and I'm not so selfish that I'd make you spend the rest of your life all alone with just little ol' me to keep you company."  
  
"Jeez, don't scare me like that Lia'ne." Keith growled jokingly, hugging Talia's slim form back to him again. "So what do you want to know?"  
  
"Well talk about it next time." Talia replied a bit sadly, and Keith could feel the dream start to slip away as the real world started to impose itself on his senses, Talia's face fading away with one last wistful smile.  
  
"Keith-san." The voice sounded a thousand miles away, but was coming closer fast.  
  
"Keith-san!" Ayeka... definitely Ayeka. "Keith-san, wake up! We are there."  
  
"Hmmm?" Keith mumbled, wiping the sleep from his eyes and sitting up with a wince.  
  
"We are at the spaceport." Ayeka repeated with a smirk. "You are not exactly a morning person are you Keith-san?" Keith just stuck his tongue out in response, absently combing his shaggy brown hair back into a semblance of order with his fingers.  
  
"Where'd you land us Kiyone?" he asked with a yawn.  
  
"Near a docking bay 42." Kiyone answered back over her shoulder as she finished shutting down the small cars systems. "Will that work?"  
  
"So long as nobody minds walking a couple miles." Keith replied with a shrug, following Ayeka as she stepped out of the car.  
  
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"Are you sure we can trust this contact of yours?" Ayeka asked, her voice a bit hesitant as they walked through the poorly lit spaceport, the sun just barely starting to burn through the morning fog. Around them small stores and stands tucked between the worn docking bays that dominated the landscape were starting to open and set up for the day. The beginnings of the morning's crowds started to appear on the narrow streets.  
  
They were for the most part dressed in the clothes they had fled in, though Kiyone had pulled on a pair of jeans the second they had landed, and Keith had duck around a corner just long enough to replace his ruined shirt with a simple black sweat shirt that was just oversized enough to hide the worst of the bloodstains decorating his jeans.  
  
"Marcus?" Keith responded, grinning a bit. "He's a pirate, a smuggler, and a general all-around crook... but yeah, on this I think I can trust him. He owes me big time and he's almost always a man of honor when it comes to debts owed. Besides, we've got a secret weapon with us."  
  
Ayeka didn't reply, simply exchanging confused glances with Kiyone.  
  
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"I'm sorry kid, but I canna help yah." The bear-like man standing in front of them said, his voice firm.  
  
"What the flying fuck are you talking about yah damned pirate." Keith bit out, staring up at the larger man, a low growl punctuating the words. "You owe me, and I've been damned generous about letting it slide until now."   
  
"If tha' nutcase who's always chasin' yah around even suspected I'd helped you I may as well kiss my arse good-bye yah little S.O.B. " the big man growled back, crossing his massive arms over his equally massive chest.  
  
"So I gotta do this the hard way then?" Keith snarled. "I bet that shiny new courier sitting out on the tarmac back there would be plenty fast enough to get us out of here." He grinned ferally, showing off a sharp set of fangs, "How much did the tub cost yah Marcus? Specially after all the... modifications... I'm sure you've had done."  
  
The big man practically glowed red through his beard as he glared down at Keith, "Yah wouldn't dare yah little punk." He snarled through clenched teeth.  
  
"Then find me another option old man." Keith shot back in harsh, clipped, tones.  
  
"Please Mister Marcus." Sasami interrupted from where the rest of the party was watching the proceedings nervously. "All we need is a ride."  
  
Marcus's fierce expression melted under the young princess's pleading gaze. "...alright, I'll see what I can do." The big man sighed. But then gave Keith a hard glare and added "Bringin' that wee gurl with yah was dirty pool May'em."  
  
"I know." Keith replied with a grin. "Thanks Marcus." He added sincerely.  
  
"Jus' donna expect it tah happen ag'in runt." Marcus added as he turned around and started towards the hangar door. "My dept is PAID af'er this. Now c'mon tha lot of yah, I think I have somthin' tha jus' might w'rk."  
  
Keith motioned for the rest of the group to follow and trotted after the big man, following him into the cavernous hangar. Inside were over a dozen ships, ranging from small couriers and shuttles to a pair of bulk transports, either of which could have carried all of the smaller ships in the hanger all at once.  
  
"So which one do you think is our ride?" Kiyone muttered to Keith when she caught up to him.   
  
"Dunno, probably one of the couriers though." Keith replied with a shrug. "Those bulk transports are too damned slow for smuggling something as wanted as we are, and the shuttles are mostly sublight jobs."  
  
"Not this time Boyo." Marcus interrupted, throwing them a smug grin over his shoulder. "Yer ridin' in tha beast t'day." He continued, pointing to the more battered looking of the two bulk transports.  
  
"I'm trusting you on this Marcus." Keith replied warningly. "But you'd better have one hell of a plan up your sleeve if you expect me to ride in that junkpile."  
  
"Jus come aboard yah paranoid git'" the bear-like man responded with a snort, punching a code into a keypad by the hatch with the ease born of long practice and then striding through when the hatch creaked open.  
  
Stepping through the hatchway, the group found themselves standing on a narrow walkway that circled the ship's spacious main hold. It's cargo for the trip was readily apparent, a half dozen large shuttles taking up almost all of the room in the bay.  
  
"Wow!" Mihoshi exclaimed, looking at the nearest shuttle with an admiring eye. "That's a Galaxytech Mk3 Gravwell Diver!"  
  
"Is that a good ship Mihoshi?" Sasami asked, curious more because of the Blonde detectives reaction than because of any real interest in the rather plain looking shuttle.  
  
"Oh yeah!" Mihoshi enthused, bouncing a little in her excitement as she walked over to get a closer look at the ship, which in all honestly was rather ugly, a squat ovoid with no visible windows and only a fat few ridges running from front to back preventing it from looking entirely like a metal egg. "They use them for getting really close to black holes, exploring really deep in gas giants and stars, and going lotsa other places that would crush other ships like an egg!"   
  
"I swear, sometimes that girl scares me." Ayeka commented, shaking her head in abject wonder at the bubble-headed girl's antics.  
  
"Oh, that's nothing." Kiyone replied shaking her head. "Did you know that she had the highest score of her entire class on her final exam?"  
  
"She did?" Ayeka responded, surprised.  
  
"Yep." Kiyone sighed. "But the teacher ended up having to grade the thing by hand because she did it in twelve different colors of pencil. It confused the grading machine so badly that it literally overheated... it took them three days to fix the damned thing too." Kiyone finished with a snort.  
  
"Well I'm glad tah see tha at least one o' yah likes tha ugly thing." Marcus said with a smirk, as he watched Mihoshi all but hug the fat ship. "'Cause it's where you're gonna spend the trip out."  
  
"But it's only designed to carry three people!" Mihoshi protested, finally distracted from her examination of the squat vessel.  
  
What?" the rest of the group chorused in surprise.  
  
"I know." Marcus answered with a shrug "but she's tha only one tha's shielded well enough tah hide yah all from GP sensors. She's hooked inta this beasties life support system, so tha won' be a pro'lem, it'll jus be a bit cramped is all." The big man added, thumping the main transports inner hull to indicate exactly which "beastie" he was referring to.  
  
"It'll do." Keith replied over the girls' protests. "So where are you planning on dropping us off old man?"  
  
"No' far Runt." Marcus replied with a smirk. "Jus' over tah Rylos 9."  
  
"Rylos 9?" Kiyone repeated, a touch of alarm present in her voice. "As in the Rylos 9 run by the Si'Glara Crime family?"  
  
"Well saying that they run the planet is a bit of an exaggeration." Keith replied with a shrug, "but you're thinking of the right place."  
  
"Do you have any idea what they do to GP officers they catch on planet there?" Kiyone hissed angrily.  
  
"I'm not going to tell anyone if you're not." Keith answered. "Don't worry, I know the place pretty well and I have some people there I trust." He reassured the teal haired detective before she could issue another protest. "The lot of you are going to need a wardrobe change before we leave, but other than that, we should be fine."  
  
"A wardrobe change?" Ayeka asked nervously, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of her belly.  
  
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The shuttle's interior was just as cramped as advertised. Three heavily cushioned seats running in a row from front to back, each about ten feet from the one in front of it, with about two feet of headroom, and little else. The middles station was even raised up about three feet, making it impossible to see the other stations directly, and the space between the seats was just short of completely taken up by delicate electronics and other equipment, leaving the seats as the only places fit for human habitation, and further isolating the different stations. In all honesty, they may as well have been completely separate rooms. Needless to say, it was not a ship designed for long trips.   
  
Mihoshi and Sasami were in the front seat, Sasami on the tall blonde's lap, both of them deeply engaged in a two person handheld fighting game that they'd bought on their short-notice clothes-shopping trip. Kiyone was seated in the extra cramped center seat, all but sealed into the plush chair by an array of control panels and displays. Despite the cramped conditions, she was fast asleep. Not that anyone else in the shuttle could blame her for that, of all of them, the teal haired detective had probably gotten the least amount of sleep of any of them over the past few days. This of course left Ayeka perched on Keith's lap in the rearmost seat, neither of them particularly comfortable with the situation, but both trying hard to hide that fact.   
  
"I still fail to see how these clothes are going to help us escape notice." Ayeka protested for the dozenth time since they'd purchased them, squirming a bit in an attempt to readjust the, in her opinion, too-short black skirt that she was wearing.   
  
"Ayeka, between you, Kiyone, and Mihoshi, nothing we dress you in is going to NOT attract the attention of every male who gets in sight of us." Keith replied, biting his lip in an only partially successful attempt to distract himself from Ayeka's wriggling. "At least this way you won't look out of place."  
  
"Yes, but couldn't I have gotten something a little less revealing?" she griped, gesturing down at the midriff-baring pink t-shirt she was wearing, blushing a little at the offhand compliment Keith had just paid her and the two detectives.  
  
"The city we're headed for is a steam-bath on its good days Ayeka." Keith drawled. "This time of year you'd probably be cooler vacationing in hell. Trust me, you don't want to be wearing anything more than what's required to maintain a semblance of decency on this trip."  
  
"Then why are you wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt?!" Ayeka retorted, turning around as best she could to glare at him accusingly.  
  
"That's different." Keith responded, meeting her glare with one of his own.  
  
"How exactly is it different." The young princess snapped, her violet eyes glinting dangerously as they bore into his silver green ones from mere inches away.  
  
"Lets just say that I'm not a pleasant sight in anything less than full coverage Princess." Keith responded, practically growling out her title.  
  
"Keith, even I can tell that you are far from an unattractive man underneath all of those layers of clothing you seem to be fond of." Ayeka bit out in response, the hint of a blush that appeared on her cheeks at the admission doing little to soften her tone of voice. "That is hardly an excuse."  
  
Keith sighed, breaking away from the glaring contest and letting his head fall back against the chairs headrest. "Well thank you for the complement, but I'm not talking about what kind of shape I'm in Ayeka." He half groaned, "I stopped worrying about that the first time I went wolf."  
  
"Then what are you talking about Keith." Ayeka asked with a sigh of her own.  
  
"You're not going to let this one slide are you?" Keith replied, running his fingers through his shaggy mop of brown hair in a frustrated gesture.  
  
"Not if you are going to insist on me wearing this outfit I'm not." The young princess replied with a smirk.  
  
"Fine then." Keith sighed. Holding up an arm for demonstration he unceremoniously pushed the sleeve up, revealing a forearm that was more scar tissue than normal skin.  
  
"Oh Tsunami!" Ayeka gasped quietly. "How..."  
  
"I'm like that basically from the neck down Ayeka." Keith answered before she could finish asking the question. "There are a few areas that I'm happy to say have taken relatively little damage over the past few years," he added with a wry grin, "but for the most part I'm a walking scar."  
  
"But can't you heal...?" the question trailed off unfinished.  
  
"If I concentrate on it I can force a wound to heal clean." Keith explained with a sigh, "but most of the time I don't have that luxury, and I haven't figured out how to get rid of a scar once its been formed."  
  
"I shouldn't have pressed." Ayeka apologized quietly, "I'm sorry Keith."  
  
"You don't need to apologize Ayeka." Keith responded, squeezing one of her hands reassuringly. "They don't really bug me most of the time, but they are one hell of an identifying mark and being on the run constantly for a few years tends to make a guy a bit paranoid." He finished with a grin.  
  
"So, how much longer are we going to be stuffed into this overpriced tin egg?" Ayeka asked, shooting her temporary seat cushion a smile, and effectively dropping the subject.  
  
"We have about one more hour of me having to deal with your squirming if everything goes the way I expect it will." Keith replied with an exaggerated groan after glancing at his watch.  
  
"It's not my fault you make such a lumpy chair." Ayeka replied with an equally exaggerated sniff.  
  
"Well if you'd stop squirming so much it wouldn't quite so lumpy Princess." Keith shot back with a wicked grin, poking the young princess her side in just the right spot to elicit a startled yelp from the girl.  
  
"Hentai!" Ayeka yelped, realizing exactly where she was sitting and what exactly she was feeling all at once. Blushing scarlet, her hand came up reflexively and slapped Keith across his cheek with a loud smack.  
  
"Ow..." Keith said after a second, though the sting from the slap was gone before he even opened his mouth.   
  
"Its your own fault for..." Ayeka trailed off, blushing beet red, all to aware of where she was seated, and of the look that Kith was giving her. It was the same look he'd had on his face just before he'd thrown her over his shoulder to dump in the shower when he'd kidnapped her. Predatory, dangerous... plus a hint of something else that sent a pleasant shiver running down her back.   
  
"There are a few things even I have no control over Ayeka. THIS," he emphasized exactly what he was referring to by bucking his hips slightly, "is one of them."  
  
"Keith!" Ayeka gasped slightly as she felt him buck underneath her, the bulge she was now much too aware of rubbing up against her in a rather sensitive area, making her squirm even more. "Stop that!"  
  
"Then you stop that damned wiggling!" Keith responded in a low growl that Ayeka could feel through her back from where it was pressed against his chest. The vibrations seemed to penetrate her entire being and she could feel her body react to the surprisingly pleasant sensation.  
  
"Oh Kami," Ayeka groaned involuntarily, trying to get into a less compromising position in the extremely limited space available to them while simultaneously trying to keep her skirt from riding up, but the low-slung control panel that was holding both of their legs in place prevented her from doing more than moving forward a few inches and the attempts were only serving to aggravate the situation. The warm feeling that had started to form in her belly when she had become aware of the bulge underneath her lap was growing rapidly at the friction that their movement was causing.   
  
Keith's eyes flashed silver when the heady scent of Ayeka's arousal reached his nose and he could feel the powerful, primal, instincts that had come with his transformation flare almost uncontrollably. Despite his attempts to maintain control he felt his canines grow a few millimeters and sharpen themselves into razor fine points, his fingernails following suit and forming short claws. The world around him seemed to get a bit fuzzy around the edges and he could've sworn that he could practically see the scents permeating the small space. It was getting harder to think by the second and the woman sitting in his lap was rapidly becoming the only thing he was at all aware of. A throaty growl started low in his chest and seemed to reverberate in the cramped quarters, and he found his eyes drawn to her slim neck.  
  
Realizing that her attempts to get away were only goading Keith... and herself she admitted reluctantly... on, Ayeka forced herself to calm down and hold still. Taking a deep, calming, breath she leaned back, trying to ignore the feel of the man underneath her despite her seemingly heightened sense of touch. The penetrating growl that issued from him even as she let the breath out completely undid her attempts though, and she bit her lip to stop the low moan that tried to slip out. The gasp of both pleasure and pain that followed not even a second later she couldn't have stopped even if she'd known about what was going to happen.  
  
He could feel the hot pulse of blood rushing through the large artery in her neck underneath his tongue. The bite wasn't all that hard, though if he kept his current ministrations up for more than a few seconds there would be an impressive mark there, but his newly-sharp canines pierced through the soft skin they contacted, drawing a soft swell of blood to the surface, where his rough tongue lapped at it. His large hands, rough with calluses from years of fighting, clasped her waist, the short claws adorning his fingertips brushing lightly across the exposed skin of her stomach.  
  
"Keith!" his name exited Ayeka's mouth in a gasp, the young princesses back arched in an instinctual response to the intense feeling being generated by the hot mouth on her neck. After the brief flash of pain that she had felt at the beginning, the sensation had become pure pleasure, and one of Ayeka's hands reached back to tangle in Keith's shaggy mop of brown hair, unconsciously encouraging him to continue...  
  
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Kiyone woke with a start, looking around sleepily as she tried to figure out what had woken her up. After a few seconds she shrugged her shoulders and leaned back, letting her eyes drift shut again. She was almost asleep again when she heard it... barely. Right on the edge of hearing, names uttered in gasping tones, low moans, groans... she blushed bright red as it hit her exactly what she was listening to.  
  
"Ayeka and Keith?" she muttered, shaking her head in wonder. "I would never have guessed."  
  
With that she pulled out a pair of earplugs (a necessity when sleeping in the same room as Mihoshi) and put them in, leaning back in the plush seat and closing her eyes with a sigh.  
  
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...the ship fell out of hyperspace with a violent shudder and the normal gut-twisting sensation that accompanied the shift into or out of realspace, and Ayeka pulled away from him like she had been burned.  
  
"So close..." the thought went through both their minds as they frantically grabbed for the discarded articles of clothing lying around the small cabin.  
  
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Sasami looked worriedly at the shuttles rearmost hatch, wondering what was taking her sister and Keith so long. She was just about to ask Kiyone if she knew when the thick outer hatch slid open and Ayeka scrambled out.  
  
"Are you alright Ayeka?" the blue-haired princess asked worriedly, walking up to her sister, and noting her somewhat rumpled appearance, though not entirely sure what to make of it.  
  
"I'm fine Sasami" Ayeka reassured, though she sounded a bit out of breath, and one hand was playing nervously with the thick leather chocker that she was wearing.  
  
"If your sure..." Sasami replied, sounding a bit doubtful. "Did Keith give you that necklace?" she asked, taking a closer look at the chocker. It was about two inches thick, though it tapered to about half that in the front, was cut from velvet-soft black leather, and clasped at the front with a large cat's-eye gem mounted in a simple silver setting.  
  
"He is lending it to me, yes." Ayeka replied, giving her sister a genuine, if slightly nervous smile. "Excuse me Sasami, but I really need to powder my nose." Ayeka added, excusing herself and quickly walking over to ask Marcus, who had just stepped into the cargo bay, for directions.  
  
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"What were you thinking?" Ayeka asked her reflection in the mirror over the noise of the faucet, fixing it with a glare. "You were not thinking at all, that was the problem." She answered herself with a groan, letting her forehead rest against the cool surface of the mirror with a soft thunk. "At least not with your head."  
  
"You love Tenchi you nitwit." She told herself, "However attractive you may find the man, you will not let yourself get caught up in the heat of the moment again. If he presses the matter you will apologize and make it clear that you are NOT interested in pursuing a relationship of that nature with him." She lectured her reflection sternly.   
  
"Maybe I can keep him as a concubine." Ayeka muttered to herself with a groan, letting her head fall back forward against the mirror with another thunk. "Or not." she sighed. "Now I know I have spent to much time around Ryoko." She added, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation.  
  
Splashing her face with cool water, she started straightening her rumpled hair, giving up on getting it back into it's traditional style and simply tied it into one thick tail. Giving her reflection a critical eye, she fished out a tube of pink lipstick and applied it to her kiss-bruised lips. Next she turned her attention to the dark mark Keith had managed to leave on her neck. The choker he had lent her covered most of it up, but not all of it, and after thinking about it for a second she pulled out her concealer and applied it liberally to the bruise before replacing the thick necklace. Not perfect she decided, but it would do so long as no one looked to closely. After straightening her clothing and adding the belt and bracelets that Keith had lent her to go with the choker, the violet haired girl gave herself another once-over in the mirror, decided that she was at least reasonably presentable, and turned to the door. 


	8. Chapter 8 : Interludes

Disclaimer... the ones you recognize ain't mine.  
  
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Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes - Chapter 8  
Interludes  
  
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She hadn't felt this pathetic or helpless since she had been trapped in the cave. She couldn't move so much as a finger, she couldn't talk... and the sounds of the dozen odd monitors Washu had arranged around her bed in Yukinojo's medical bay were slowly driving her insane. Carefully she reached out for the energy she could feel throbbing in her newly returned gems and attempted to draw it into her, willing it to speed up the healing process and let her run away like she was aching to do, but it evaded her mental grasp once again. If she could have sworn at that moment she would have.  
  
"Ryoko?" Tenchi's gentle voice called into the room, and Ryoko snapped her eyes firmly shut. He was the last person in the universe she wanted to see right now, and while she couldn't escape from him completely; at least she wouldn't have to look at him.  
  
"I know you're mad at me." The young prince started quietly, sitting down on a low chair beside the bed. "And I'm sorry I had to do that to you... but I couldn't just let you die. Even if you hate me from now till the end of time, I just couldn't..." his voice trailed off, and she heard him settle back into the chair, apparently out of things to say for the moment. If she'd had her voice she would have screamed at him to get out, to leave her alone. She had trusted him more than anyone else in her entire life, and he had betrayed that trust. He had abused her feelings for him to control her, to take away what should have been HER choice. He may not have done it as overtly as Kagato, but for that moment, that vitally important moment, he had robbed her of her most precious possession. Her freedom. As it was she just did her best to ignore his presence   
  
"Tenchi." Washu called, stepping through the sick bay's door. "Mayuka wants her daddy." The tiny scientist said in a sing-song voice, pointing back over her shoulder with her thumb. Tenchi let out a tired sigh and stood up.  
  
"Thanks Washu-chan." Tenchi said as he stepped past her into the corridor. Just outside the door he paused and called, "I'll be back later Ryoko." before continuing down toward the room where his daughter was supposed to be sleeping.  
  
"Please, don't do me any favors Tenchi." She thought, wishing fervently that she could at least turn her head and glare at him properly.  
  
"You can chew the boy out to your hearts content later my dear Ryoko." Washu said softly, claiming the chair that Tenchi had just vacated, and giving Ryoko's nearer hand a gentle squeeze. "For now you need to rest and heal."  
  
"Stay the hell out of my head Washu." Ryoko sent angrily over their link. "I'm not exactly happy with you either you know. If it wasn't for you he could never have gotten into my head and done that to me in the first place." She accused. "I was ready, I'd made my choice and he... BOTH of you robbed me of it."   
She wailed, her mental voice pained and unsteady, a few tears trickling from the corners of her eyes despite her best efforts. "I expect you to do that kind of thing to me, but I TRUSTED him." Washu could feel tears start to from in her own eyes as her daughter's words struck home, making her chest contract painfully.  
  
"Were you really that ready to die Ryoko?" Washu asked in a quiet, slightly horrified voice, all of her normal confidence and arrogance gone.  
  
"YES!" Ryoko's mental reply was immediate and held no hint of indecision. "What did I have to look forward too?" Ryoko Spat. "Waiting around for Tenchi to finally decide on someone else and leave me all alone? Millennia after millennia of my mother playing torture the space-pirate in the name of science? Of having people run away from me in fear because of what Kagato made me do? Of having to live with the guilt of knowing that there was a point in time that I actually ENJOYED causing all that pain and suffering because the fear I saw in peoples eyes just before I snuffed them out was the only time anybody ever bothered wasting an emotion on me? A few thousand more years of trying to figure out what makes Sasami's food so special?" Tears were flowing freely from Ryoko's eyes at this point, and Washu could only listen in numb horror as her daughter ranted. "Yes Washu, I was ready to die. Before the good memories I have of the past few years had time to turn sour. Before what happiness I've managed to gather around me crumbles in my hands. Before..." Ryoko's mental voice trailed off.   
  
"I... I won't... won't experiment on you anymore." Washu said in a small, unsteady voice, not sure of what to say, but wanting to offer something at least. Ryoko just snorted in response, that at least was something she could vocalize. Silence reigned in the small room for a while, Washu not sure of what to say next and Ryoko not wanting to talk at all.  
  
"You... you said something about trying to guess why Sasami's meals were so good." Washu started hesitantly grabbing desperately for any way she might be able to help her daughter, "What did you mean?" Washu asked, a touch of her normal curiosity managing to creep back into her voice.  
  
"What the hell do you think I mean?" Ryoko asked, thoroughly annoyed. "You're the one who designed me."  
  
"I don't understand." Washu admitted, confused.  
  
"What, is old age effecting your memory now Washu?" Ryoko asked with a snort. "You're the genius that decided that I didn't need a sense of taste."  
  
"A sense of..." Washu's voice trailed off, looking at her daughter with wide eyes. "That BASTARD!" she shouted, leaping out of the chair and bringing up her holotop with an angry wave of her hand as she ranted. "Every time I think I've figured out everything Kagato did to you another thing pops up! It took me months just to get rid of the programming that let him control you in the first place, and now I find out that he was messing with you're senses as well?" she typed furiously at her computer as Ryoko listened to her rant, her eyes widening in surprise when Washu mentioned removing the programming.  
  
"Washu?" she called over their link. "Mom?" she added when that didn't get the small woman's attention.  
  
"Yes Ryoko?" Washu asked, her head snapping up from the computer screen to look at her daughter's unmoving form, still looking much to frail for Washu's taste underneath the thin blankets that were covering her.  
  
"What programming? And when did you get rid of it?" Ryoko asked, genuinely curious.  
  
"Ryoko my dear, I did not design you to be a puppet or a weapon or anything else Kagato tried to use you as." Washu said with a heavy sigh. "Yes, you're my creation, but more importantly you're my Daughter. I just wanted... just want you to be you own person. If Kagato hadn't stolen you from me when   
you were so young he would never have been able to do any of those things to you." Washu walked over to the bed so she could look her daughter in the eyes as she talked. "A for when I got rid of the programming... do you remember right after the incident with Doctor Clay?"  
  
"When you stripped me of my power and tied me up half naked in the dark all night?" Ryoko asked, narrowing her eyes accusingly at the pink haired scientist. Washu winced at the hurt and anger she saw in Ryoko's golden eyes, but nodded in affirmation.  
  
"Sorry 'bout that." She apologized in a small voice, "but it was the only way I could think of to do it. You had to have your mental defenses stripped away completely... and you can't do that consciously, nobody can. If I'd told you what I was trying to do ahead of time it wouldn't have worked."  
  
"You should have at least told me afterwards." Ryoko responded, but most of the anger was gone, she was too tired to be angry at more than one person right now.  
  
"You're right... and I'm sorry." Washu responded sincerely, leaning over to give Ryoko a careful, if somewhat awkward, hug, deciding that it was probably going to be a long time before she got another opportunity. "At least getting your senses back in order shouldn't be to hard." She murmured, savoring the rare opportunity to show her daughter some genuine affection, and rather surprised that Ryoko hadn't yelled at her to stop yet. She couldn't stop the tears of joy when one of the cyan-haired girls arms, shaking from the effort, lifted up to return the hug, albeit weakly.  
  
"Thanks mom." Ryoko whispered, her voice rough and weak from disuse, but the words genuine.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
  
Mihoshi was watching Keith and Ayeka worriedly. Since they'd gotten off the transport Ayeka had been purposefully keeping as much distance as she could manage between herself and Keith, despite the boy's efforts to do the complete opposite. She figured that they'd had a fight of some sort on the shuttle, but the way it the ship was designed meant that neither she nor Sasami had been able to hear anything, or see what it had been about.  
  
At the moment Ayeka was walking ahead of Keith, shooting the occasional glace back in his direction, and talking to her little sister. She was still wearing the short skirt and midriff baring t-shirt that Keith had convinced her to wear, but she had added a wide leather chocker clasped together at the front   
with an amber cats-eye gem, a pair of matching bracelets, and a loose chrome-chain belt to the outfit. Her hair wasn't in the same style either; it had been pulled back into a single thick braid, and looked a tiny bit mussed. Her tiara, needless to say, was absent as well.   
  
For his part, Keith was looking really overheated in his long sleeved shirt and jeans and was watching the elder of the two princesses with an unreadable expression on his face. Nodding resolutely the blonde detective put on her serious face and picked up her pace in order to catch up to the young man so she could get to the bottom of this mystery.   
  
"Keith-san!" Keith heard Mihoshi call from behind him, and after a slight moment of hesitation, turned his attention from the pleasant activity of watching Ayeka's hindquarters and turned to look at the blonde detective as she half-jogged to catch up to him. The outfit the young woman had chosen to wear   
was... well let's just say she was definitely not as modest as Ayeka. The yellow bikini top she had picked out (with no prompting from Keith just in case anyone was wondering) was causing havoc among the male population, and the extremely short jean shorts weren't helping things at all. And now she was jogging,   
with the predictable results. Keith winced slightly in sympathy as a distracted young man on a bicycle ran into a parked car because he was staring too hard.  
  
"Yes Mihoshi?" Keith asked when the Blonde caught up to him, forcibly making himself look at her face when he talked, not that the attractive young woman's face was particularly hard to look at.   
  
"What's Ayeka so mad at you about? Mihoshi asked in her best police-persons voice, getting right to the point of the matter. Then in a more normal tone, well normal for her anyway, she added, "I mean, I'm pretty sure you two had a fight or something on the shuttle, but Sasami and I couldn't hear or see anything from the front seat, and Kiyone says she slept right through the whole trip and doesn't know anything!" Keith turned bright red, and he could smell the wave of embarrassment, mixed with a few other scents, that emanated from Ayeka at Mihoshi's question, which reached the Princess's ears quite easily given how loudly the blonde's normal tone of voice was.  
  
"We didn't get in a fight." Keith protested, looking down at the ground in an attempt to hide the neon-red blush he could feel coloring his face.  
  
"I'm not mad at him Mihoshi!" Ayeka added, turning around to fix the blonde detective with a glare, though the blush that was decorating her own cheeks made it considerably less effective than it would have been otherwise.  
  
"Then why are you avoiding him like this?" Mihoshi asked curiously, managing to miss both of their red faces completely. "I mean, you two were acting like best friends before we rode in that shuttle."  
  
"Best friends? With that criminal?" Ayeka snapped reflexively, her hand going to cover her mouth even before the words had finished coming out, a horrified look on her face at the knee-jerk response.  
  
Keith just snarled in answer, throwing Ayeka a dangerous glare before stalking ahead of them.   
  
"Well Princess," he growled as he stomped past her, emphasizing her title to the point that it sounded like a curse, "you'd better walk a bit faster or this criminal is gonna leave you behind."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
They arrived at their destination a little under an hour later, Keith still staying well ahead of the rest of them, picking up the pace any time one of them tried to catch up. The building they arrived at was rather nondescript. Low-built and made from plain gray concrete it actually looked rather like a bunker. The vault-like steel door that was apparently it's only entrance only served to reinforce that impression. Ayeka and the rest of the group arrived just in time to see Keith reach for the small intercom set into the side of the building by the door.   
  
"Yo! Grease-monkey, get your butt up here and let me in before I start trying to pick the lock." Keith drawled holding the speak button down, a malicious smirk on his face.  
  
"Who the fuck is it?" a heavily distorted voice responded after a couple seconds, the owner replied, obviously annoyed, prompting Ayeka and Kiyone to cover Sasami's ears. "And who the hell do you think you fucking are calling me that!"  
  
"Who else in this shithole arm of the galaxy calls you a grease-monkey, yah Grease-monkey." Keith replied, his grin widening.  
  
"You..." the voice started to say then cut off. A handful of seconds later the heavy door swung aside considerably faster than it looked like it should have been able to, and a petite figure came flying out, latching onto Keith and hugging him fiercely.   
  
"You asshole! I thought you were fucking dead!" the figure, now identifiable as an attractive young woman with silvery hair tied back into a waist-long ponytail... wearing a short rumpled nightshirt and little else... accused, all but strangling Keith as she hugged him. Ayeka scowled, unable to repress the surge of jealousy that ran through her when Keith returned the hug affectionately.  
  
"If I could've called I would've kiddo." Keith replied, the smirk on his face softening into a genuine smile. "Still not one to get up before mid-afternoon I see." He added teasingly, tugging on her nightshirt to get his point across.  
  
"Huh? Eeep!" the girl, realizing her state of undress quickly released her death grip on Keith and darted back inside.  
  
"C'mon everybody." Keith said, gesturing towards the door. "Lets get inside before we attract any more attention than we already have." With that he stepped through the still open doorway, pointedly ignoring the glare that Ayeka was giving him.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
  
Despite its outward appearance the inside of the building was cavernous, extending several stories underground. The entrance had led to a short hallway, which had in turn led to a second door that opened onto a catwalk above what was from all appearances a covered landing bay, a partly disassembled fighter dominating the floor. Keith let them look around for a few seconds before waving them on towards another door about twenty feet down the catwalk from where they were gathered.  
  
"You decent in their Kiddo?" Keith called after knocking on the door a couple times.  
  
"Yeah, c'mon in Mayhem." The girl's voice, a pleasant alto without the distortion of the intercom, came through the door. With that reassurance Keith pushed the door open and steeped through.  
  
The room was actually rather comfortable in it's own way Ayeka noted a bit grudgingly as she stepped through the doorway, though it'd never get an award for organization. A pair of plush couches dominated the center of the room, facing a monstrous entertainment center that completely covered one wall. Behind the couches against the opposite wall was a queen-sized bed, unmade and covered in thick blankets and cushions, and beside it an oversized dresser. The girl, who's name still hadn't been mentioned Ayeka noted, was currently standing next to the dresser, and was in the process of absentmindedly tossing her nightclothes into the hamper stuffed between the dresser and the wall.  
  
"Make yourselves comfortable." The small woman offered, giving them all a warm, if somewhat curious smile, and gesturing towards the couches.   
  
"Thank you miss...?" Ayeka responded, doing her best to be civil despite how she was presently feeling about the young woman, reminding herself once again that she had no right or reason to get jealous over Keith.  
  
"Sari." She supplied with a grin. "Now if Mayhem here will stop acting like his usual clueless self and introduce you all." She said, giving Keith a pointed look. Taking the hint, he quickly introduced his traveling companions, leaving off Mihoshi's and Kiyone's jobs and ranks, but including Ayeka's and   
Sasami's full titles and grinning like a madman when Sari's jaw dropped open.  
  
"The crown princesses?" She gasped after a few seconds, staring at the two girls in a mixture of horror and amazement. "You've gotta be shitting me."  
  
"Keith is quite serious I'm afraid." Ayeka replied before Keith could respond with an appropriately smart-aleck remark, trying not to wince at the silver-haired girls crude language. To emphasize her answer she fished her tiara out of her handbag and held it up for inspection.  
  
"Now this one I gotta hear." Sari said after a moment. "Later though, first thing I want to know is..." she stopped mid sentence, an odd look on her face. Turning to face Keith, she fixed him with a baleful glare. "Keith? You told them your real name?" the small girl asked in an icy tone, "BEFORE YOU   
TOLD ME?!" she all but shouted the last part, genuinely upset.  
  
"Ah Christ..." Keith muttered, "I'm sorry Sari."  
  
"Sorry? SORRY?" Do you have any fucking idea how long we, ALL of you're friends out here, have been trying to get that little piece of information out of you? And the second you get out of the loop for a couple weeks, you go and tell a bunch of people you've known for what? A week maybe?" she ranted, stalking over to where he was sitting and putting her face bare inches away from his. "Do you have any idea how insulting that is?"  
  
"I was home Sari." Keith replied with a sigh, pulling the small woman onto his lap and into a hug against her protests. "I honestly didn't think I was ever going to leave the place again..." he let his voice trail off as Sari relaxed against him.  
  
"And you decided that it was time to go back to you're old life." Sari finished with a sigh. "I understand I guess, but I'm still pissed at you." She murmured. "You realize that the gang's gonna lynch yah when they hear about this though, don'tcha?"   
  
"I'll make it up to you guys when I'm a bit less rushed." Keith responded with a smile... though that lasted only as long as it took him to notice the angry, jealous, scent all but pouring off Ayeka. Glancing over at the violet haired princess he winced at her icy expression. He could practically see the   
gears in her head plotting painful things to do to him.  
  
"Anyway, enough of this sappy shit." Sari said, scrambling out of Keith's lap and into the space between him and Kiyone on the couch, but taking advantage of the position to use him as a pillow. "Back to business. What brings yah to my humble little shop, and who's after yah for what?"  
  
"Straight to the point as always." Keith drawled, grinning down at the petite woman nestled up against him. "I'm gonna need one of your custom jobs, fake registration, fake clearances into Jurian space, and a few other odds and ends for starters. And it's just the normal a-hole after me, but with new ammo to get support."  
  
"Well it's gonna take a day or two. Fortunately for you, despite the fact that you've once again managed to give me absolutely no advanced warning, I got something nearly ready that should suit your needs pretty well." Sari responded with a smirk. Keith just grinned in reply. "Well you know the drill... Keith... the terminal is where it always is, you know the prices, just put the money in the Reich account."  
  
"Do I get my normal discount?" Keith asked with a grin as he stood up.  
  
"After all the shit you just pulled? Fuck no." Sari snorted, "You get the 10% regular customer discount and that's it." Keith just laughed in response as he stepped out of the room, the metal door shutting behind him with a soft clang.   
  
"So, while he's busy doing that, why don't you guys tell me how you got mixed up with that punk?" Sari asked, turning to give the four assembled girls a wry grin. "Him coming by trailing a group of strays behind ain't that uncommon an occurrence... but this is the first time he's ever brought a pair of princesses and GP with him." Kiyone and Mihoshi exchanged worried looks at that.  
  
"How did you know...?" Kiyone asked after a brief pause.  
  
"My security picked up your blasters and control cubes when you came through the door." Sari replied with a smirk. "Don't worry though, I'm not gonna tell anybody. If May... Keith, trusts yah, I will too." She paused for a second, making a face. "It's gonna take me forever tah get used to calling him that. But anyway, back to the original question."   
  
"Well, that is something of a long story..." Ayeka began, nervously fingering one of the bracelets she was wearing.  
  
"Keith was running away from some other Galaxy police and crashed on Earth and we went looking for him because Washu figured out he was alive and Ayeka wanted to catch him for killing her uncle, but we had to split up to actually find him and he caught Ayeka instead, and when she got caught this really mean man, though he was acting really nice at the time, named Heero came by saying he was there to help but when Keith brought Ayeka back Heero tried to blow us all up with his ship and really hurt one of our friends so we had to try and catch him, but he managed to convince everybody that we were imposters and everyone started chasing us so we had to hide in this really cramped shuttle while Keith's friend Marcus flew us here..." Mihoshi stopped to take a deep breath before finishing, "and my favorite soap is starting like right now so can I please use your TV?" the blonde detective finished in a rush, fixing Sari with her best puppy-dog look.  
  
"Uhhh.... Sure." Sari responded after a few seconds of silence, a look of horrified fascination on her face as she contemplated the blonde's lung capacity and her mind digested the information that had just been thrown at her. With a squeal of delight Mihoshi lunged for the remote, switching the TV on and flipping to the right channel with an ease born of experience.  
  
"So... what she just said is what really happened?" Sari asked after spending a few more seconds goggling at Mihoshi's actions.  
  
"Well, she oversimplified things considerably," Ayeka replied with a sigh, "but it's reasonably accurate."  
  
"...oh..."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
  
Keith tapped one clawed finger against the plain wooden desk that held Sari's 'business' computer in a poor attempt at a rhythm as he double checked his order for anything he might have missed. He was just a touch distracted though, and it was taking him four times as long as normal to do anything. Too   
much longer and they were going to send a search party after him.  
  
"Ah fuck it, that's good enough." He muttered under his breath and tapped the enter key before leaning back in the slightly to small office chair to wait for the computer to run through all of the security protocols that both ends of the transaction were guarded by. That done, he let his mind focus itself on the train of thought that had been bouncing around in the back of his head since they'd arrived on planet.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking you horny bastard." He groaned, giving in to the urge to bang his head against the desk a few times. "You've known the girl for less than a goddamned week and you come within a few inches of banging her brains out. What kind of friggin' asshole are you anyway," he berated   
himself half under his breath, "the second Lia'ne says she doesn't mind I just about jump the girl... and how the hell can I even be thinking about that kind of thing right now anyway!" the last part of that he all but shouted before he caught himself. "Especially after what happened at the hotel..."   
  
"Keith?" a voice, Ayeka's voice, called from the half-open door.   
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
  
"You know what?" Sasami said as Ayeka stepped out of the room, claiming she needed to use the restroom.  
  
"What Sasami?" Sari asked, giving the young girl a smile and doing her best to ignore that she was talking to a princess of the most powerful and influential families in this and several other galaxies.  
  
"I think Keith and Ayeka like each other." She finished, the way she said it making it perfectly obvious what type of "like" she was talking about. Kiyone nearly spit out the coffee she was drinking.  
  
"What makes you say that?" Sari asked, giving the teal-haired detective a curious look as she regained her composure. And she was genuinely curious, habitual flirting aside, Mayhem... Keith hadn't shown interest in any woman but Talia for as long as she had known him, and more than a year after his wife's death she personally thought it was about time. But of all people, why the crown princess of the Jurian Empire?  
  
"Well... Sasami trailed off, trying to put what she'd observed into words. "They spend a lot of time together talking about stuff," the blue haired girl started ticking off reasons on the fingers of one hand, "they're always peeking at each other when they think the other ones not looking, they both blush an awful lot when they're around each other..." Sasami paused for a second before leaning forward to whisper the last reason conspiratorially to Sari and Kiyone "and I think they were kissing or something on the shuttle ride over." Kiyone promptly started choking again.  
  
"Wha... what makes you say that Sasami?" Kiyone asked, still coughing a little.  
  
"Well they were all alone back there for the whole trip, and they took forever to get out, and Ayeka's hair was really messy when she did..." Sasami answered in a matter-of-fact voice.  
  
"Uhh, I almost hate to ask, but why were they all alone on the trip over?" Sari inquired.  
  
"It was a three seat research shuttle with more or less separate compartments for each seat. Ayeka and Keith kinda just ended up in the back seat together." Kiyone explained quickly between coughing fits.   
  
"Ah..." sari responded, fighting back a evil grin. "Sooo... do you think they make a good couple Sasami?" she asked, trying hard to sound innocent.  
  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
  
"Yeah Ayeka?" Keith responded, praying that the young woman standing in the doorway hadn't heard his little rant.  
  
"We... we need to talk." The violet-tressed girls started hesitantly, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her and leaning back against it, her eyes fixed firmly on the floor.   
  
"So, talk then." Keith prompted when the young woman didn't say anything for several seconds.  
  
"About what happened on the shuttle..." Ayeka started, looking up but still refusing to look him in the eyes, "... it shouldn't have happened."  
  
"So you regret it then?" Keith asked quietly, his voice slightly pained despite his efforts to not let the words effect him.  
  
"No..." Ayeka admitted, the barest hint of a sad smile flitting across her features, "But it still should not have happened. I... I am in love with someone else. And even if I was not, it wouldn't work between us... it couldn't really."  
  
"...well I guess I have no choice then." Keith started, his face carefully neutral as he stood and covered the distance between them in two long strides. Ayeka bit back a gasp and looked up at him, her heart speeding up a little in her chest.  
  
"Friends?" the scruffy young man asked, sticking out his hand, the serious expression he had been carefully maintaining turning into a genuine, if slightly melancholy smile. Ayeka's worried expression melted away, her own smile mirroring his as she took his hand.  
  
"Friends." She confirmed.  
  
"Good. I don't think I could deal with a person I care about hating me at this point in my life." He responded wryly. "Just one thing though..."  
  
"Yes Keith?" Ayeka asked curiously.  
  
"I don't give up quite that easily." And with that he pulled her to him and leaned over to capture her mouth with his in a passionate kiss. After what felt like an eternity he broke contact and carefully stepped past her and out the door.  
  
"Oh my..."  
  
  
End Chapter 8 


	9. Chapter 9 : Reversals

Disclaimer - Tenchi and the crew are unfortunately not my property. I had no part in creating them, though I am desperately trying to figure out how to give myself Ryoko's abilities. I am not writing this for the purpose of making money, though if any kind souls see fit to give donations I will not complain. I am writing merely because I'm an obsessive person in general and I really need to get it out of my system. Mayhem is my creation however, and anyone using him without my OK will anger the Great Shaven Cat Goddess and cause her to sic her elite pack of Killer Llamas on you. Criticism is welcome, flames are ignored, praise will inflate my ego greatly, and make sure I actually finish this one-day. Enjoy.  
  
Many thanks to my talented editor, and fellow fanfic author, for his help in making this readable. THANK YOU DREZ!!!!  
  
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Mayhem, Chaos, And General Messes  
Chapter 9  
Reversals  
  
"They got away?" Heero asked quietly, looking at the lithe young woman standing on the other side of the wooden expanse of the desk, his ice blue eyes even colder than normal as he held her with his gaze.  
  
"Yes my Lord." She responded, her voice tight with suppressed anger and fear. Anger at herself for allowing it to happen, and fear of what the man in front of her might do. "The hotel manager told me the wrong room, and the party that was occupying the room he gave me was of the right size."  
  
"That does not excuse allowing that cur to hijack your vehicle and use it to make his escape." Heero snapped, coming to his feet and slamming his hands down on the desk. "If I did not have plans for you that required you be alive and intact I would have you skinned and turned into a rug."  
  
The young woman hung her head and cringed at the outburst, her unruly dark hair falling forward to cover her face. "I am sorry my Lord, I have no excuse for my failure." She replied in a voice that trembled only slightly. "I will do better in the future, I swear."  
  
"You certainly will. My patience and compassion only stretch so far." The elegant man replied, his voice calm once again, but as cold as his eyes.  
  
"Sir." The small communicator on his wrist chirped, interrupting the young woman before she could issue another apology.  
  
"Yes Lt." Heero responded, his eyes pale never leaving her dark ones.  
  
"We've found them."  
  
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Kami he was tired. Every time he put her down, Mayuka would start crying again, and he hadn't slept more than a few restless hours since his foray into Ryoko's mind. Presently he was curled up in one of the couches in Yukinojo's lounge area, his daughter snoozing peacefully in the crook of his arm and flipping through the 1000 odd channels the ship could pick up. Scarily enough, he hadn't found anything interesting to watch yet. He was just about to give up when an image of Emperor Azusa. his great grandfather he thought with a hint of an amused grin, appeared on the screen. Turning up the volume just a tad he quit flipping through the channels long enough to listen in.  
  
".an unconditional twenty million Jurai award for the monster responsible for the murders of my Daughters and their friends." The regal looking man addressed his intergalactic audience. "In addition, I am also issuing substantial rewards for anyone with any information that proves to be useful in the hunt." With that the image switched back to a dour faced anchorman who recapped the announcement and started going over details that apparently hadn't been included in the clip. Tenchi only listened with half an ear, already knowing more or less what was going to be said.  
  
"Washu." He whispered, tapping the small communicator on his wrist.  
  
"Yes Tenchi?" the petite scientist voice returned after a few seconds, sounding more than a bit distracted.  
  
"Have you been watching the news?" Tenchi asked, trying to keep the anxiety he was feeling out of his voice.  
  
"Oh you mean the reward?" Washu replied after a brief pause. "Yes, I know about it."  
  
"And?" Tenchi prompted, hoping she had any idea about what they could do.  
  
"And what?" she returned, sounding a bit tired. "There isn't really anything I can do about it until we get closer to Jurai and I have other things to worry about at the moment."  
  
"Sorry Washu," Tenchi sighed, "I just hate feeling so helpless."  
  
"I know Tenchi." Washu replied soothingly. "Have you managed to get any sleep yet?"  
  
"Hmm?" Tenchi responded, his sleep deprived mind taking a few seconds to catch up with the change of subject. "Not yet, Mayuka starts crying every time I put her down." He finally replied with a yawn.  
  
"Why don't you leave her with Ryoko and me in the med lab for a while." Washu suggested. "I'm sure Ryoko would love to see her."  
  
"That's a good idea, thanks." Tenchi responded gratefully.  
  
****************************  
  
Ryoko opened her eyes as Tenchi left the room and with an effort managed to turn her head to look at Washu as she played with Mayuka. "Can I hold her Washu?" she asked, her mental voice colored by a touch of longing.  
  
"I don't know. Think you're up to it?" Washu asked, pleased that her daughter was showing a bit of interest in something again.  
  
"Just help me sit up." Ryoko responded happily. Washu smiled softly, setting Mayuka down in the playpen that she had set up in a corner of the sickbay for a few seconds while she helped Ryoko into a sitting position and thoroughly propped her up with pillows. Admittedly she could have done much the same thing with a few keystrokes on her holo-top, but psychologically speaking, the human contact the old fashion method involved was good for Ryoko. Though getting the girl to admit as much was a near impossible task. That accomplished Washu picked Mayuka back up and carefully set her in Ryoko's arms.  
  
"Hey kiddo." Ryoko whispered, her voice rough. "Miss me?" Mayuka sighed contentedly in response and cuddled closer, one small hand taking a firm hold of the nightgown Ryoko was wearing as the infant stared curiously at Ryoko's almost buzz-cut short hair.  
  
"The kids been a real pain since you were injured." Washu commented softly, watching the pair with a slightly amused smile on her face.  
  
"How so?" Ryoko asked telepathically, not taking her eyes from the child in her lap.  
  
"Wouldn't sleep, wouldn't stop crying. the normal ways babies make their displeasure known to the world." Washu responded grinning. "Tenchi was just about the only one of us who could do anything with the kid."  
  
"Is that true yah little brat?" Ryoko asked in an amused voice, making faces at the little girl, who gurgled happily in response. "Why do you think she's been doing that though?" the cyan haired girl asked Washu mentally as she continued in her efforts to entertain Mayuka, "do you think she misses the house?"  
  
Washu rolled her eyes and chuckled slightly at her daughter's ability to miss the obvious. "She missed you Ryoko." The pink-haired scientist replied with a smile, "I'm pretty sure that she considers you to be her mother."  
  
"You. you really think so Mom?" Ryoko asked, her eyes still fixed on the child in her arms, the slightest hint of tears making her golden eyes shimmer.  
  
"Yes." Washu replied simply.  
  
****************************  
  
"What are you girls up to?" Keith asked suspiciously as he stepped back into Sara's bedroom/living room to find Sara, Sasami, and Mihoshi huddled conspiratorially together on the far couch, looking at him with barely suppressed grins. Kiyone was sprawled on the other couch, rubbing her temples and muttering under her breath.  
  
"Nothing!" they chorused almost immediately.  
  
"Somehow I have a feeling I'm not gonna like this." Keith groaned. "But female conspiracies aside, we have a few hours to burn before we really need to hit the sack and I for one am starving."  
  
"Shouldn't we wait for Ayeka?" Sari asked, her face the picture of innocence.  
  
"Wasn't plannin' on leaving the girl behind." Keith shrugged, giving the tiny silver hared girl an odd look. "She'll be along in just a minute"  
  
Sari just grinned.  
  
****************************  
  
"May'm!" the little girl shouted gleefully as the group entered the dimly lit tavern, her waist-length forest green hair streaming behind her as she ran to greet the group.  
  
"Hey squirt." Keith responded with a grin, kneeling down to give the kid a hug when she reached them. "Miss me?"  
  
"Nope." She responded mischievously.  
  
"You didn't?" Keith replied with an exaggerated pout.  
  
"I knew those dumb coppers could'n catch yah." She asserted, crossing her arms and smirking.  
  
"Damn straight squirt." Keith grinned back, mussing her wild mane of hair affectionately as he stood up.  
  
"So who is that little girl?" Ayeka asked Sari as the group followed the constantly chattering child to an unoccupied corner booth.  
  
"Maya?" Sari responded, "oh, she's just his lovechild."  
  
"WHAT!" Ayeka yelped, drawing the eyes of about half the people in the tavern.  
  
"Gotcha." Sari grinned, poking the taller girl in the ribs and making her blush bright red.  
  
"Sari, stop teasing the poor sheltered girl." Keith called over his shoulder, chuckling a bit.  
  
"Sheltered!" Ayeka responded indignantly.  
  
"He's got a point Ayeka." Sasami affirmed with an impish grin of her own, joining in on the game of teasing her older sister.  
  
"And you have absolutely no room to talk my dear baby sister." Ayeka replied, her attempt at a glare ruined by the smile that was tugging at the corners of her lips.  
  
"May'm?" Maya asked, tugging insistently on his shirt to draw his attention back to her as they all took seats at one of the larger booths.  
  
"Yeah kid?" he responded, his oddly split left eyebrow rising up questioningly.  
  
"Did you really kill the Princesses?" the emerald haired girl asked seriously, fixing the scruffy looking man with her big dark-brown eyes and looking entirely too serious for someone who couldn't have been more than 8 years old.  
  
"Hmmmm." Keith started, an exaggeratedly thoughtful expression on his face. "I dunno. Have I killed any princesses lately Ayeka-chan?" the shaggy-haired young man asked with a wolfish grin on his face as he looked across the table at the elder princess.  
  
"Not as of yet." Ayeka replied dryly as she looked over one of the worn menus that had been lying on the table. "Though it has not been for lack of trying."  
  
"Now now Ayeka-chan." Keith retorted in a sing-song tone. "I have tried to do a number of things to you, but killing you isn't one of 'em." Ayeka's blush at the remark was practically neon, fortunately for her she was saved from further teasing or questioning by the arrival of the waitress. A motherly looking woman who was apparently in her late thirties, she had forest green hair only a touch darker than Maya's, and also shared the little girl's infectious smile. That smile that was in full bloom as she approached the table, her startling blue eyes fixed firmly on the scruffy young man sitting at the edge of the booth.  
  
"Mayhem m'boy!" she greeted, "did you have fun getting the Jurians riled up?"  
  
"It's one of my great joys in life Kasumi." Keith replied with a warm smile of his own, standing up to give the woman a hug. "Miss me?"  
  
"Always do." The elder woman replied, returning the hug. "So who are the lovely young ladies you've brought back with you this time?" she asked, directing her smile towards the girls.  
  
"Well let's see," Keith started, one hand casually activating the booth's privacy field. "This lovely young blonde here is Mihoshi, the stunning young woman sitting next to her is Kiyone, and the gorgeous pair over here are Princess Sasami and Princess Ayeka of the Jurian empire."  
  
"They don' look like princesses." Maya said into the shocked semi- silence, pointing at Ayeka, and earning a giggle from Sasami.  
  
Ayeka glanced briefly down at her outfit and silently agreed with the young girl. The short black skirt and midriff bearing t-shirt she was wearing were far from regal. Add to that the leather chocker, bracelets, and chromed chain belt she was wearing, and she looked more like a teenage punk than royalty. Her sister's shorts and t-shirt left the blue-haired girl looking like a fairly typical kid as well.  
  
"Y-your kidding right?" Kasumi finally managed to stammer out. "I mean, I've heard the news stories. I know what they've pinned on you this time, but." she trailed off. "Oh lordy, you're serious aren't you Mayhem."  
  
"I'm afraid so ma'am." Kiyone responded in his stead, giving the motherly woman a slightly chagrined half-smile.  
  
****************************  
  
"Was he telling the truth?" the elderly gentleman asked worriedly, his mouth nearly hidden by the thick mustache adorning his upper lip.  
  
"I'm afraid so sir." The younger man responded, his voice tight from shock and anger as he hung up his phone.  
  
"Then I have no choice." The old said, slumping back into the oversized leather chair he was occupying. "I just hope he understands. Do we know where he is?"  
  
"Yes Sir." the younger man answered, bowing respectfully. "Shall I prepare a team to retrieve him?"  
  
"No, I shall go myself. I owe him that much at least.  
  
****************************  
  
"So what exactly is your plan from here on out Mayhem?" Sari asked between bites of her steak.  
  
"Simple. I'll play bait in the ship I'm buying off you while the girls take a nice safe passenger ship to Jurai." Keith replied without hesitation, picking idly at the remains of his dinner with his chopsticks.  
  
"I don't recall us having agreed to any such plan Keith-san." Ayeka snapped, her voice cold, in direct opposition to the inferno of a glare she was aiming at him, the teacup in her hands all but forgotten. The rest of the girls all nodded in agreement, fixing their own glares upon the scruffy young man.  
  
"I didn't recall that being a requirement." Keith shot back, meeting Ayeka's glare calmly. "This is the way it's gonna happen. If I have to hog-tie the lot of you and stuff you into a closet for it to happen, so be it."  
  
"You cannot and will not make this kind of decision without consulting m... us on it." Ayeka retorted angrily. Rising to her feet and leaning heavily on the table to emphasize her point.  
  
"Ayeka." Keith started, silently thanking Maya for the privacy screens she provided for the booths that prevented anybody from overhearing the argument. "I can and I have. The ship is mine and I have every right to decide who does and who doesn't get to ride on it." The rest of the table's occupants had stopped all conversation and were watching the argument warily.  
  
"Why must you be so pigheaded?" Ayeka growled.  
  
"Ayeka. come with me." Keith responded tersely after a few tense moments of silence. Abruptly standing up and grabbing the violet haired girls upper arm, he started towards the back of the tavern, dragging the startled and protesting young woman behind him.  
  
The rest of the group watched them go in a stunned silence until they disappeared through a door behind the bar.  
  
"What just happened?" Mihoshi asked, clearly confused.  
  
"Lovers quarrel?" Sari responded, shooting Sasami a conspiratorial grin.  
  
****************************  
  
"Uh, Sir. We've arrived." Kanno said hesitantly, prodding the older man next to him gently.  
  
"It will be a few minutes before there is any point in trying to get out of our seats young man, and we have several hours before the connecting flight leaves for Jurai. Have patience." Katsuhito replied calmly, cracking one eye open just far enough to look at the young reporter. "I trust my sisters and their friends to take care of themselves for as long as it will take us to reach the palace."  
  
"If you say so sir." Kanno sighed, "but don't tell me you trust that. man, as well?"  
  
"He seemed a nice enough young man for the short time I've known him." Katsuhito replied calmly. "Besides, my sister trusts him, and she has always been an excellent judge of character... with a few exceptions anyway."  
  
"Somehow that doesn't reassure me all that much." Kanno replied with a heavy sigh.  
  
****************************  
  
"What do think you are trying to do Keith?" Ayeka hissed as soon as the door shut behind them. "I tell you I'm not going to sleep with you and suddenly you decide to ditch us?"  
  
"I thought what I was doing was perfectly obvious Princess." Keith growled in return. "And believe it or not, whether or not I get to fuck you has nothing to do with the decision."  
  
"Bullshit." Ayeka growled back, startling Keith a bit with the out-of- character profanity. "I bet you just can't stop think about how close we came to making love and it's driving you insane. You are doing this just to get me out of sight and out of mind." She added with a smirk, stepping close enough that Keith was forced to look almost straight down to meet her eyes, and giving him an eyeful of other assets in the process.  
  
"Ayeka. no offense or anything. but you're just not quite that nice a piece of ass." Keith replied with his own smirk and giving said piece of anatomy a good squeeze.  
  
****************************  
  
*SLAP!*  
  
"What'd he say?" Sasami whispered excitedly to Sari.  
  
"I'll tell you when your grown up." Sari whispered back, her ear planted firmly against the door. "But he's lucky she just slapped him."  
  
****************************  
  
"Fine." Ayeka fumed. "Then what IS your reason for suddenly deciding to leave m. us behind then?"  
  
"There's nothing sudden about my decision, I've been thinking about this since we left Earth. I've already put you girls in enough danger already Ayeka." The scruffy looking youth replied, frustration evident in his voice. "Hell, it's my fault for getting all of you involved in the first place. If I had just run away Ryoko would never have gotten hurt and."  
  
"That is enough!" Ayeka interrupted, fixing Keith with a hard glare before continuing in a softer tone. "I will not have you blaming yourself for something that none of us could have anticipated, and for which I am just as much at fault for as anyone here. If I had not insisted in chasing after you we would not have even had the opportunity to become involved"  
  
"Yeah and I had the choice to not f'ing kidnap yah to!" Keith replied.  
  
"Would you rather we have never of met?" Ayeka asked quietly.  
  
"It would have been better for you." He replied just as quietly. "Dammit Ayeka, your friend could very well be dead because of my actions."  
  
"Ryoko's tougher than that." Ayeka replied softly, stepping close to him once again and sliding her arms around his waist in a comforting hug. "And she has Tenchi and Washu watching over her. she won't die on us from this."  
  
"You have that much faith in her? In Them?" Keith replied, returning the hug.  
  
"Yes, the girl can get under my skin faster than anyone I know except perhaps you, but I do have faith in her. And in them"  
  
"Then I guess I'll just have to trust you on that then." Keith replied after a brief silence. "Your still staying behind though."  
  
"What?" Ayeka replied, pushing away as far as his encircling arms would let her to meet his eyes with her own.  
  
"Whatever my motivations in forming the plan Ayeka, it's sound. Having you or anyone else come with me would be pointless."  
  
"But." Ayeka started to protest.  
  
"Ayeka, just trust me on this." Keith interrupted. "Please."  
  
"If I must." Ayeka sighed in defeat, giving the boy a small, if somewhat melancholy, smile.  
  
"Thanks." He replied with a smile of his own, before taking the opportunity to catch the surprised girl with a kiss.  
  
****************************  
  
"What's going on now?" Sasami asked curiously, slightly frustrated that the older girls wouldn't let her listen too.  
  
"I don't know. it suddenly just got quiet in there." Mihoshi replied. "Do think they're kissing?"  
  
"I bet they're doing more than just that." Sari snickered in reply.  
  
"Sari!" Kiyone responded in a shocked whisper. "Sasami and Maya are standing right there!" she scolded, gesturing at the two increasingly frustrated little girls standing behind them.  
  
"Aw, like you weren't thinking the exact same thing." Sari teased.  
  
"Well yeah, but I have the common sense to keep it to myself." Kiyone retorted, a faint blush tingeing her cheeks.  
  
"Mr. Si'Glara!" Maya's surprised voice came from behind them, startling them with its volume. "What're you doing here?"  
  
****************************  
  
"Keith. stop." Ayeka protested weakly, breaking the kiss after what felt like a brief eternity, but not pulling away completely. "I told you. I love Lord Tenchi."  
  
"And I told you that I don't give up that easily." He replied easily, leaning over to suck gently on her neck, just above where it met her shoulder.  
  
"I thought you said I wasn't that. oh Kami." she gasped as his mouth found a particularly sensitive spot, "wasn't 'that nice a piece of ass'. I believe was the phrase you used." She countered, unconsciously leaning into his ministrations.  
  
"That. was a. complete. and utter. lie." Keith responded, trailing kisses up her neck and along her jaw.  
  
"Is that right?" Ayeka breathed out just before his mouth found hers again.  
  
"I had a feeling that their newest claims against you were spurious M' boy, but I must say, I wasn't expecting this to be what was really going on." An elderly, but thoroughly amused voice came from the door.  
  
"I knew they were kissing in there!" Sasami crowed.  
  
****************************  
  
"I'm terribly sorry about the interruption Mayhem." Si'Glara started, unable to hide the mischievous twinkle in his eye, though the twinkle quickly faded away as he continued, "but I am even more sorry for why I interrupted."  
  
"What're you talking about Gramps?" Keith replied, still red from embarrassment.  
  
"There are currently six Jurian warships in orbit over this planet." The elderly gentleman started, his heavy mustache drooping to emphasize the frown decorating his face. "The lead ship is geosynchronous orbit above the city. and is holding my family hostage in their own homes."  
  
"Fuck." Keith replied simply, his face going stony. "How'd they find me?"  
  
"I'm ashamed to admit this," the old gangster sighed, "but I think one of my men may have given them the information."  
  
"Who?" Keith asked, his voice deadly quiet.  
  
"Salol." Si'Glara replied simply. "I told you that you should never have made an enemy of that one Mayhem. He holds grudges far to long."  
  
"So. what are the terms?" Keith asked after a long silence.  
  
"They want you obviously, within the next hour and forty-five minutes to be exact." Si'Glara replied heavily. "Though any companions you might have I'm just to keep on this planet and isolated for the next two weeks."  
  
"How much time do you need to get your family to safety?" Keith asked quietly.  
  
"I need one full day to get the targeted buildings evacuated without them noticing anything. After that they're free to blast away." Si'Glara replied firmly. "I cannot force you turn yourself in M'boy. I won't. But I beg of you. my grandchildren are innocents, even if many of the rest of us are not. They don't deserve to die for this." he finished, sounding even older than his years.  
  
"No, they don't." Keith agreed solemnly. "Looks like I have no choice then, I'll go."  
  
"Thank you Mayhem." Si'Glara responded sincerely, the relief evident in his voice. "If there is anything you want done, just name it."  
  
"Just. watch over my friends while I'm gone, 'kay?"  
  
"Of course. consider them to be under my full protection." Si'Glara reassured, rising to his feet. "I'll wait outside, we'll leave when you're ready.  
  
"Goddammit Mayhem, why do you have to be so fucking noble all the time." Sari tried to growl, but failed miserably. "If you'd said no he wouldn't of forced you yah know."  
  
"Yeah, and his entire family woulda been killed. You know I can't let that happen, and there's just not enough time to find another way." Keith replied seriously.  
  
"Yeah, I know." Sari replied in a small voice, hastily wiping away a tear that escaped to trickle down her cheek. "Doesn't mean I have'tah be happy 'bout it though."  
  
"Just. don't die. Not until we can save you." Sari replied, refusing to look at him.  
  
"We'll be moving the second Mr. Si'Glara gives the all clear." Kiyone added, Mihoshi nodding her head in agreement, an uncharacteristically serious expression on her tanned face.  
  
"Thanks girls. I'll be waiting for you then." Keith replied, giving the group a nearly genuine grin as he rose to his feet. "In any case though, I'd better get going. Don't want to cut things any closer than we have to considering what's on the line."  
  
Keith was nearly to the door before Ayeka could force her self to do anything more than watch him go. Abruptly she scrambled to her feet and all but sprinted after him, catching his arm even as he started to push the door open.  
  
"Don't." she whispered, "please."  
  
"This is a really bad time to start Ayeka." Keith responded, his voice barely loud enough for the violet haired girl to hear.  
  
"What?" Ayeka responded, baffled by his response.  
  
"If you try to hard I might just stay." Keith elaborated, turning to look at her, wolfish grin firmly in place, ".and I really do have to do this." With that he was out the door and in the waiting car.  
  
****************************  
  
"What do you think Heero plans for you?" Si'Glara asked quietly a few minutes into the trip to the spaceport.  
  
"You mean besides pain, torture, humiliation, and death?" Keith responded sarcastically. Si'Glara just nodded in response. "Damned if I know, he's pretty much forced himself into delivering me to Azusa. Which means he's going to have to keep the girls away and quiet long enough to actually deliver me to Jurai." Keith mused. "He's also got to keep me from talking to Azusa and spilling the beans about his daughters being alive. Azusa likely wouldn't believe me, but he might just stop the execution long enough for the girls to get around his attempts to bottle 'em up."  
  
"You think he'll drug you or something similar to keep you quiet?" Si'Glara asked.  
  
"Ripping my tongue out would probably be a bit to obvious, so that's probably going to be the case." Keith replied, grimacing.  
  
"Well then, I may have something that can help. though it is not without risks." Si'Glara offered, reaching into a small compartment in the side of the limo.  
  
"Seeing as my choices are somewhat limited." the shaggy haired young man drawled in reply.  
  
"I can't offer you an antidote obviously," Si'Glara started, pulling out a small packet, "but this should act to partially counteract any drug he may give you to keep you unconscious or incoherent. It's a sub-dermal implant, and it will release a dose of the drug inside into your system every four hours over the next 3 days."  
  
"So, what're the risks?" Keith asked, taking the small packet from Si'Glara and holding it up to the light to examine it. Inside the clear plastic case was a thin, segmented tube containing tiny droplets of a almost neon-blue liquid.  
  
"Firstly, the drug is highly addictive. No matter how amazing your healing abilities are Mayhem, you will feel significant withdrawal symptoms after that is gone. Secondly, if the implant breaks while inside you, all of the doses contain within will enter your system at once. the results would be lethal even for you. Lastly. that particular implant was meant for a being four times your mass. If I gave you a lesser dose though, I'm afraid that your system would expunge it long before the next dose was released. If Heero does anything to task your healing abilities too far though." Si'Glara trailed off with a grimace.  
  
"I think I may have been better off not knowing." Keith responded after a short silence. "So. how do we put this thing in?"  
  
****************************  
  
"So what do we do now?" Sasami asked as they walked back to Sari's place.  
  
"We've got to beat them to Jurai somehow. or get a message out. or something." Sari responded, frustration evident in her voice.  
  
"A message isn't any good unless we can get a secure channel though." Kiyone replied thoughtfully. "If Heero or one of his people intercept it before Keith's delivered to Jurai he'd just bolt and we'd lose our chance to rescue Keith. We're pretty much have to let him deliver Keith to Jurai and then try and do something there before he's executed."  
  
"Is there any way we could contact Washu do you think?" Ayeka asked, the first thing she'd said since Keith had left.  
  
"All of Yagami's communications equipment is GP issue, if we tried to contact him there's no way that Heero's people wouldn't notice." Kiyone replied, her brow furrowing with frustration.  
  
"Actually Kiyone." Mihoshi started hesitantly, "he does have a civilian phone."  
  
"What?" Kiyone nearly shouted.  
  
"I know it's against the rules but the Chief always gets really mad when I use the police communicator to go shopping for stuff, and watch TV, and call my family when I'm on patrol, so I thought that it'd be better if I just put in my own personal system that he wouldn't know about." Mihoshi explained sheepishly. "I even had to use a different name to keep it a secret."  
  
". well I'll be damned." Kiyone muttered in a bemused tone. "That takes care of half the problem then."  
  
"What is the other half of the problem?" Ayeka asked worriedly.  
  
"Well, while we have a comm. address and system that isn't red- flagged now, we all still are." Sari answered before Kiyone could. "Are images, our voices, our names, anything attached to us is going to be noticed by those ships sitting in orbit."  
  
"So why don't we get someone else to send the message for us?" Sasami asked.  
  
"That's just what I was thinking Sammy." Sari replied with a grin.  
  
****************************  
  
Beep BEEP!  
  
".."  
  
Beep BEEP!  
  
"Mnn.?"  
  
Beep BEEP!  
  
"Huh? Wazzat?"  
  
Beep BEEP! Click!  
  
"'Ello?" Tenchi slurred, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, still more than half asleep.  
  
"Is this a Mr. Masaki?" a somewhat effeminate voice asked.  
  
"Err. Yeah."  
  
"Press record on your machine, woulda sweetie?" the voice asked/instructed.  
  
"Wha? Why?" Tenchi asked even as he looked for the appropriate button on the machine.  
  
"Because your friends would be very upset if you didn't, and you don't want that do you?"  
  
".kay." Tenchi responded, still baffled, but finding the appropriate button and pressing it anyway. "Ready."  
  
"Here it comes then big-boy." The voice said teasingly, followed shortly by a high-pitched squeal that lasted for about three seconds. "Now show that to the professor and be quick about it, everyone's waiting for you." With that the voice hung up, leaving Tenchi staring at the phone even more confused than before. After a few seconds spent getting his thoughts together, he reached for the in-ship comm.  
  
"Washu. I just got the weirdest phone-call."  
  
End Chapter 9 


	10. Chapter 10 : Reunions

Disclaimer - Tenchi and the crew are unfortunately not my property. I had no part in creating them, though I am desperately trying to figure out how to give myself Ryoko's abilities. I am not writing this for the purpose of making money, though if any kind souls see fit to give donations I will not complain. I am writing merely because I'm an obsessive person in general and I really need to get it out of my system. Mayhem is my creation however, and anyone using him without my OK will anger the Great Shaven Cat Goddess and cause her to sic her elite pack of Killer Llamas on you. Criticism is welcome, flames are ignored, praise will inflate my ego greatly, and make sure I actually finish this one-day. Enjoy.  
  
Many thanks to my talented editor, and fellow fanfic author, for his help in making this readable. THANK YOU DREZ!!!!  
  
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Mayhem, Chaos, And General Messes  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Reunions  
  
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The "Myah" of general complaint that issued from the small bed on the other side of the med bay was a welcome sound, even if it did sound rather pathetic.  
  
"Hey little sister." Ryoko called through their link. "Glad to have you back in the land of the living. How do yah feel?"  
  
"Head hurts... hungry." Was the cabbit's typically simplistic response. "Ryoko sister Okay?"   
  
"I'll live." Was the cyan-haired girl's somewhat sardonic response. "Though I'm not going to be able to play very much for a while."  
  
"That okay..." Ryo-Ohki responded dismissively to the apology. "Why sister upset? Why mad Tenchi?" Ryoko cursed under her breath at the question, her mental shields were still in shambles from the incident, and the little cabbit was hard to hide things from to begin with.  
  
"Tenchi... Tenchi..." Ryoko started, searching for the words to explain what the young man had done to her. "He betrayed my trust. He used my feelings for him to force me to do something I didn't want to do."   
  
"What did he make you do?" Ryo-Ohki asked confusedly, the slightest hint of anger tingeing her thoughts.  
  
"He made her stay." Washu answered for Ryoko as she walked into the room. "He made her try to live. Personally I think she's being a little silly about the whole thing."  
  
"Myah!" the little cabbit agreed loudly.  
  
"And here you managed to be supportive for a whole 24 hours." Ryoko retorted, her voice still raspy, but considerably improved. "I thought you were going for a new record or somethin'."   
  
"Ryoko..." Washu sighed, "I love you dearly and I will support you as best I can, but that doesn't mean I'm going to sit back and let you continue in this kind of self-destructive behavior."  
  
"What's self destructive about it?" the Cyan-haired girl shot back with a scowl, "I'm mad at Tenchi, not mad at myself."  
  
"What's self destructive about it is the fact that you're pushing away one of the most important people in your life." Washu explained calmly. "And you're doing it because he saved your life." She added before Ryoko could raise her voice in protest.   
  
"He held himself hostage!" Ryoko protested.  
  
"And if you want to be mad at him for the method he used, that's fine." The pink haired scientist responded with a shrug as she wandered over to the table that Ryo-Ohki was curled up on. "But at least tell him WHY you're pissed at him so he can start to make amends. Tenchi is a wonderful person, but he can be more than a little dense at times."  
  
"You can say that again." Ryoko snorted, running one hand through her newly short hair. Near silence reigned in the small room for a while, the only sounds being the click and hum of various medical instruments as Washu checked over the recently awakened Cabbit.  
  
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Keith had felt the first dose of the drug starting to kick in even as the shuttle that had carried him up to the waiting Jurian warship. Now, as the guards were strapping him to his prison cot, it was all he could do to hide the fact that he was feeling rather loopy and more than a little buzzed.   
  
The guards left the cell hurriedly after they finished; obviously a little worried by his reputation. As the door closed he allowed the exaggerated, drug-induced, grin he had been concentrating on keeping under control slip into place. He managed to keep the accompanying giggle from slipping out, but just barely.  
  
It wasn't long before the cell door opened again, and a regal-looking blonde man strode in, a satisfied smirk on his handsome features. Keith's drug-induced grin stayed firmly in place, but twisted into something dangerous and predatory.   
  
"How yah doin' Blondie. Long time no see." Keith greeted the man flippantly.   
  
"Do you have any idea how long I have looked forward to this moment?" Heero asked quietly, his normally arrogant countenance ruined somewhat by the crazed gleam that was creeping into his ice-blue eyes. "You killed my master and ruined my life. Your actions lost me my position as a member of the Jurian royal guard. You have led me in a most frustrating pursuit across half of this galaxy for years... and now it is at an end."  
  
"Fuck you and fuck your master." Keith replied cheerfully. Admittedly it wasn't exactly a clever comeback, but it did convey his feelings on the subject rather effectively. "Compared to what you've stolen from me, that's a bargain."  
  
Heero's reply to the comment was swift, and required even less thought than Keith's crude insult. With a snarl he stuck out with the stun-baton he was carrying in his hand, laying several solid blows to Keith's ribcage and sending tens of thousands of volts of electricity through his targets lanky frame.  
  
"Feel fortunate that I've been ordered to deliver you alive." Heero snarled once Keith stopped convulsing. "Your death will not be any less unpleasant under Emperor Asuza's administrations, but the process will grant you nearly two days of extra life."   
  
"Of course, those two days will not be pleasant ones." And with that he slammed the stun-baton into Keith's midsection.  
  
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"Well, I've finished decoding that message you received Tenchi." Washu said as the young prince came into the room. "It took me a while longer than I would have liked because I was expecting something based off a GP encryption instead of a smuggler's code."  
  
"A smuggler's code?" Tenchi repeated, still half asleep.  
  
"Yep." Washu affirmed. "Pretty sophisticated too. Not on the level of a good GP or Jurian encrypt, but good enough for a crook. It'd take even Jurian Intelligence a day or two to decipher, if they even noticed it."  
  
"Fascinating Washu-chan," Tenchi responded insincerely, "but what's the message say?"  
  
"I was getting to that." Washu shot back with a bit of a scowl. "It's from Ayeka, and the other girls."  
  
"Is something wrong?" Tenchi asked worriedly.  
  
"Have patience Tenchi-kun." The pink haired scientist said soothingly as she typed in a few commands on her holotop. "Just listen to it."  
  
"Tenchi, Washu-chan, Ryoko... if you receive this and are able, hurry as best you can to Rylos 9 and retrieve us." Ayeka's voice, sounding more than a little worried sounded from the comm. system's speakers. "Keith has been captured and is sentenced to be executed in less than two days on Jurai. We are currently being forced to remain on the planet by a number of orbiting Jurian warships. Please Hurry." With that, the message ended.  
  
"Can we make it in time?" Tenchi asked quietly, his brow wrinkled in worried thought.  
  
"On Yukinojo? No." Washu responded thoughtfully. "No offense Yukinojo." She added hastily.  
  
"None taken Washu-Chan." The ship's A.I. responded politely. "You are simply stating fact. Few ships in the Galaxy Police fleet are fast enough to meet the deadline."  
  
"Is there anything we can do then?" Tenchi asked, frustration evident in the soft-spoken young mans voice.  
  
"Of course there is." Washu replied with a self-satisfied smirk. "We have one of the fastest ships in the Universe aboard."  
  
"Ryo-Ohki?" Tenchi responded, baffled. "I thought she was still unconscious."  
  
"She woke up about half an hour ago and is currently going through her third bushel of carrots." Washu grinned as she stood up and started back towards the sickbay. "When I build a ship, I make 'them tough."  
  
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He could feel his ribs mending underneath the skin... again. His left hand was still a ruined mess, but his immune system had better things to worry about, like internal bleeding and that pesky punctured lung, so it was likely going to stay that way for a while longer. The amount of energy he was expending on healing himself meant he was starving, but there was little he could do about it tied to the cot as he was.  
  
Fortunately even Heero's intense hatred of him wasn't enough for the man to lose control completely and neglect his other schemes or accidentally kill his prisoner prematurely, so Keith was currently alone and free of torment. The drug Si'Glara had given him was helping to keep him conscious and something resembling coherent, but a painkiller it was not.  
  
Taking stock of his surroundings as best as his fuzzy senses would let him the young pirate did some mental calculations. The conclusions he came to weren't good ones. The amount of damage Heero had inflicted was enough to effectively immobilize him even if he hadn't been securely restrained by shackles and chains designed for someone much stronger than he was at his best. The fact that he'd been stripped of everything but a pair of boxers meant he didn't have any of his normal bag of tricks to work with either. All and all, he was screwed.  
  
It was in the midst of these thoughts that the door to his cell creaked open, the sudden influx of light from the hallway making him wince. The figure outlined in the doorway was about a foot too short to be Heero, and very obviously female.  
  
"Who the fuck 'r you?" Keith slurred, desperately trying to get his eyes to focus properly.  
  
"No one of consequence." The figure responded in a slow drawl as she entered the cell fully, and drew the door shut behind her. "Just someone who wants to see what kind of monster her master has been chasing for so long. So far I'm not impressed." With that the figure stepped into the sparse light of the cell where he could make out her features.  
  
"Talia!?"  
  
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"How much longer until the ship is prepared to go?" Ayeka asked anxiously, failing miserably in her attempt not to be a pest as Sari and her work crew scrambled over the small ship that was their way off the planet.  
  
"The less you bug us the less time it'll take Princess. Sari drawled in response as she manhandled a panel back into place. "If you want to help hand me that welding torch." She added, pointing at the appropriate tool."  
  
"This one?"   
  
"The one to the left of that," Sari responded "no, your other left Ayeka. Look, I know you're worried about lover boy," the tiny blonde continued as she grabbed the tool from Ayeka and started to adjust it "but he's one of the single toughest and stubborn people in the galaxy. If anyone is going to last until we get there it's him. Oh, and we shouldn't be more than another hour or so." With that she flashed Ayeka a grin before lowering her goggles and starting to weld the panel in place.  
  
Ayeka sighed, too worried and nervous to even get embarrassed over the "lover boy" remark the small mechanic had made. She just didn't know enough. Were Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki even alive? If they were, was that group even close enough to help? Would Heero actually deliver Keith to Jurai alive? Or had he already killed him? Or had he just tortured Keith for the whole of the twenty hours that he had passed since the scruffy pirate had surrendered?   
  
The violet haired young woman felt the bile rising up in her throat and cut of that line of thought violently, taking several deep breaths to steady herself and unconsciously squeezing the small pouch Keith had left behind. Dwelling on the maybes of it all was getting her nothing, except possibly an ulcer. With that thought she left the work bay and went to find the other girls.  
  
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Mihoshi yawned, reaching for the half empty cup of coffee sitting on the desk a couple feet away as she watched the feed that they'd hacked into from one of the local spaceports displaying the starship traffic around the planet. Only three of the Jurian warships were still in orbit. It wasn't enough to make an effective blockade if more than a handful of ships tried to make a break for it. But they were enough of a deterrent to keep basically every ship on the planet willingly grounded.  
  
This basically meant that any attempt on their part to flee was all but suicidal without a distraction of some kind. Not a happy thought. Mihoshi really didn't like those kinds of thoughts, and normally she was pretty good at avoiding them. But the long watch wasn't letting her employ any of her normal distractions.   
  
Fortunately the monitor in front of her was waterproof... because, typical of her luck, she had just started to take a sip when a VERY excited Sasami ran into the room, making her spew the mouthful of coffee she had just drunk all over it.  
  
"We got a reply from Washu and the others!" the little girl reported excitedly. They're gonna be here in a little more than an hour! And Ryoko's alright!" she added joyfully.  
  
"That's great!" the blonde detective replied sincerely, returning the blue-haired princess's joyful smile and standing up to give her a hug. Sasami happily returned the embrace before bouncing towards the door again.  
  
"I gotta find Ayeka and tell her! Kiyone says that you should get ready to go as fast as possible and head down to the hangar!" With that she bounded down the hallway and out of sight.  
  
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"Oof!" Ayeka exhaled loudly as Sasami literally ran into her as she turned the corner.  
  
"Ayeka!" Sasami exclaimed excitedly, all but hopping in place. "Get packed! We're going in an hour."  
  
"What?" was the elder girls confused response. "Slow down and explain it properly Sasami."  
  
"Tenchi, Washu, and Ryoko are on their way and will be here soon!" Sasami explained quickly. "Everyone else is already getting ready, so we need to hurry."  
  
"So Ryoko is alright then?" Ayeka asked, relief evident in her voice.  
  
"Yep!" Sasami confirmed happily, giving her big sister a hug, which was enthusiastically returned.  
  
"Then we had better not dawdle." The elder princess said, "Keith-kun is waiting for us after all."  
  
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"Sir! A ship is approaching the planet at high speed!" called Lt. Yamagura from his position at the communications station.  
  
"So?" the Captain, a rail-thin man who's neatly trimmed beard was just starting to go gray, responded in a bored tone. "Hail them, relay the standard warnings, and send them away."   
  
"But Sir, we already have!" came the immediate reply. "They've ignored all hails and are continuing their approach! They'll be within firing range in less than 2 minutes!"  
  
"Tactical!" the Captain barked, sitting up straight in his chair... an excited grin forming on his face. "Ready weapons and give me a targeting solution NOW!"  
  
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"Only three 3rd generation cruisers." Washu mused from Ryo-Ohki's control chair. "Shouldn't be too hard. At least it shouldn't be if Ayeka and the others are paying attention and do what they're supposed to."  
  
"Feh!" Ryoko commented over their link. "If I were you I'd be counting of Kiyone and Sasami for that particular bit of the plan."  
  
"Now, now, Ryoko-chan," Washu chided, "it's not fair to insult the girl when she's not here to respond."  
  
"Whatever." Was Ryoko's rather sullen response. "Lets just get them and get the hell out of here already."  
  
"Yes dear." Washu chuckled. "Now just relax, you're still far from recovered you know."  
  
"Tenchi?" the pink-haired girl called, breaking her mental contact with Ryoko. "Are you ready up there?"  
  
"As ready as I can be sitting on top of a spaceship without a suit." Tenchi responded, only half-jokingly, from his place atop Ryo-Ohki's dome, protected from the vacuum of space by a thin force field. "Are you sure this is a good idea though?"  
  
"Of course it's a good idea!" Washu exclaimed arrogantly. "It's MY idea after all!" She added with a cackle of glee. Tenchi just sighed and readied himself.  
  
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"There they are!" Sari crowed from her place in the co-pilots seat. "Lets get this scrap heap moving!"  
  
"It's usually a bad sign when the ships builder calls it a scrap heap y'know." Kiyone groused, even as she shoved the ships throttle forward and yanked back on the control column, sending the ship hurtling skyward on a narrow stream of flame.  
  
"Hey, I was rushed." Sari replied with a grin as the small ships acceleration shoved her back into the padding of her chair despite the acceleration compensators best attempts. "Everyone comfortable back there?"  
  
"Just Dandy." Ayeka replied sarcastically. "I rather think we had more room in the last ship. And there I was sitting on someone's lap the entire way."  
  
"And you enjoyed every minute of it I bet." Sari shot back, making the taller girl blush a rather impressive shade of red.  
  
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"Sir! There's a second ship taking off from the city!" Lt. Yamagura shouted.   
  
"Leave it for the other ships!" the captain barked in response. "Do we have a firing solution yet?!"  
  
"We will in ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two...  
  
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"Tenchi! NOW!" Washu shouted from Ryo-Ohki's bridge.  
  
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"...One... now Sir!"  
  
"Fire!"  
  
A hundred bright beams of raw destructive force lanced out from the Jurian warship, only to splash off Tenchi's spread light-hawk wings like so much water on a boulder, and Ryo-Ohki speed closer.  
  
"Sir!" called the frantic voice of the ship tactical officer, "Our fire's completely ineffective! The targets own shields are being supplemented by Light-hawk wings! We don't have the firepower to hurt her by ourselves!"  
  
"Tell the other ships to hurry!" the Captain replied, the slightest hint of panic creeping into his voice. "And keep firing! Even if we can't hurt her we can keep her from firing back if we keep up the pressure!"  
  
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"Now THAT is a distraction!" Sari whooped as they watched Ryo-Ohki scream past the blockading ship, incoming fire all but bouncing off the brilliant white shield that was protecting the crystalline ship.  
  
"Washu, this is Kiyone! Do you read?" The teal-haired detective shouted over her headset, ignoring Sari's commentary completely.  
  
"I do! Now hurry up and get you're butt on board before those other ships get here!" Washu's voice, made even more nasal than normal by the distortion of the headset speakers, called back. "Even Lord Tenchi has his limits, and those other cruisers will be here any second now!"  
  
"We're almost there!" Kiyone replied, gritting her teeth as she slammed the throttle forward.  
  
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"Sir, That ship just took on the shuttle we picked up coming from the planet!" Lt Yamagura reported.  
  
"Damn them." The Captain cursed under his breath, trying not to imagine what Heero would do to him upon hearing this news. "After them! Don't let them escape!"  
  
"Sir, Yes Sir!" came the chorused response from the bridge crew as they brought the ship around and accelerated after the rapidly fleeing vessel.  
  
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"They're following us Washu!" Tenchi reported, as he was teleported from his position on top of the cabbit's dome and onto the bridge.  
  
"I know." Washu responded. "They may outmatch Ryo-Ohki in sheer firepower, but they don't have a chance of catching her in a straight-on race Tenchi. So relax already... and it's Washu-CHAN!" She added with a mock-glare.  
  
"If you say so I guess I just have to believe it I guess..." Tenchi laughed, "Washu-Chan."  
  
"You'd better believe it!" Washu affirmed with one of her trademarked grins. "Now why don't you go and greet the girls. I can handle things up here fine by myself."  
  
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"Ayeka! Sasami! Mihoshi! Kiyone!" Tenchi called happily as he entered he makeshift docking bay Ryo-Ohki had formed in her lower levels for the occasion. "You're all alright!"  
  
"Tenchi!" Sasami responded first, rushing to hug the Japanese youth.  
  
"It is good to see you again Lord Tenchi.' Ayeka added politely, throwing the young man a tired, but genuine smile.  
  
"Took you guys long enough." Was Kiyone's only comment, but she smiled as she said it, giving Tenchi a wink. "But I'm glad you made it when you did."  
  
"Tenchi!" Mihoshi called, barely managing not to completely fall over as she got out of the shuttle. "I am soooo glad to see you!"  
  
"So... who's gonna introduce me to the cutie?" Sari asked after a few seconds of continued greetings, giving Tenchi a rather... inviting smile.  
  
"Sari!' Ayeka admonished, though she was only half serious about it. "Lord Tenchi has quite enough female attention without you adding to the problem." The purple haired girl added with a small grin. Sari just laughed.  
  
"My name's Sari," the tiny blonde said, sticking out her hand in greeting, "just incase yah missed the Princess yelling it."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Tenchi returned politely, taking her hand.  
  
"Yep, definitely cute." Sari chuckled. "Needs to loosen up a bit though."  
  
"All that aside," Kiyone interrupted, "can we visit Ryoko Tenchi? Or is she still..." the teal-haired detective trailed off.  
  
"She's doing fine." Tenchi smiled, relief obvious in his voice. "Follow me."  
  
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Washu was waiting for them as they approached Ryo-Ohki's newly formed sickbay.  
  
"One at a time Girls." Washu cautioned as they got within earshot. "She's a lot better, but I don't want her getting overexcited by a mass invasion of well-wishers quite yet."  
  
"So who goes first?" Sasami asked, glancing anxiously from the door to the rest of the group and back.  
  
"Why don't you go first Sasami." Kiyone offered with a smile, "I'm sure Ryoko will want to get her hands on that lunch you made her."  
  
"Oh...she'll definitely love that." Washu confirmed, trying to hide the small grin that started to form and sending a quick mental command for Ryo-Ohki to record what was going on in the room. After all, this would be Ryoko's first real meal with her taste buds in working order. This she wanted on tape.  
  
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When Ayeka finally entered the sick bay, Ryoko was still happily licking the last few crumbs and drops of sauce from the bottom of the lunch-box that Sasami had given her. Even knowing ahead of time that the former pirate was the only one in the room, it took a second for Ayeka to really recognize the person she saw sitting on the bed.  
  
Ryoko's once luxurious and gravity-defying mane of Cyan hair was barely more than an inch long and gave the impression that someone had attacked the girl with a pair of hedge clippers. Her cheeks were sunken and there were dark circles under her golden cat's eyes. Most frightening of all was how FRAIL the woman looked. Before she had been all hard muscle and womanly curves, strong and assured of that strength. Now... she looked to be little more than bones and thinly stretched, almost transparent looking, skin.  
  
"So yah done staring yet Princess? Or should I pose for yah?' Ryoko asked sarcastically, setting the spotless lunch-box aside reluctantly, somewhat upset that there wasn't any more.  
  
"I'm sorry Ryoko." Ayeka apologized sincerely, blushing a bit at her own behavior. "It's just that...'  
  
"I look like crap." Ryoko finished for her. "Damn barber did an absolute hack-job." She added with a smirk, earning a small laugh from the other girl.  
  
"I'll have my own personal hairdresser fix it up for you when we get to Jurai." Ayeka replied teasingly, and earning a genuine, if short, laugh from the bed-ridden girl.  
  
"I'm not sure if I'd trust ANY Jurian near my neck with a pair of scissors, but thanks for the offer Ayeka." Ryoko retorted, before adopting a Cheshire cat smile. "So... tell me, what happened to your clothes?"  
  
"It's just a disguise!" Ayeka stammered out, blushing as she remembered that she was still wearing the outfit Keith had bought for her. Complete with the chains and black-leather chocker.  
  
"Uh-huh, suuuuuure." Ryoko replied, grin still firmly in place, before taking an exaggerated sniff. "If that smell's any indication you've been enjoying wearing that tiny little skirt more than you shoulda been."  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka all but shouted, going even redder.   
  
"Oooo... I think I hit a nerve." Ryoko noted, her grin widening, if such a thing was possible.  
  
"Oh please!" Ayeka retorted, still bright red. "I am sure you have no right to tease me about such things at this point you pirate! I am quite sure that you have been using every dirty trick in the book to get Lord Tenchi while I was away." the princess added, the familiar argument slipping into the friendly fight they were having more out of habit than anything else. Ryoko's face almost immediately fell, her Golden eyes going cold.  
  
"Tenchi's all yours Ayeka." Ryoko replied, completely serious. "I don't want that creep anywhere near me."  
  
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End Chapter 10 


	11. Chapter 11 : Some Things Resolved

Disclaimer - What's mine is mine, what isn't has been borrowed.  
  
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Mayhem, Chaos, And General Messes  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Some Things Resolved  
  
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"Talia?" Keith breathed as the figure stepped into the light.  
  
"Who?"   
  
Keith concentrated a bit, and his pupils switched from their normal, human shape to something a bit more feline. That done he looked again at the woman who had entered the cell. She strongly resembled his dead wife, but some of the details were markedly different. For one, while she had the same downy fur that Talia had had, she was noticeably lighter in coloring. Similarly, her hair was a dark chocolate brown instead of raven black. Her face was a bit longer and her nose somewhat more defined, though the girls full lips and silver eyes were as close to identical to Talia's as they could be. Letting his eyes trail downward, he noted that her feet were more human than Talia's had been too.  
  
She also looked to be several years to young, 15 at most, but compared to the rest of the differences, it was a minor detail.  
  
"Never mind." He finally responded gruffly. "Who are you?"  
  
"No one important."  
  
"You were on the roof of that hotel." Keith stated after a moment of thought. The girl just nodded in response, stepping closer to scrutinize his face.  
  
"And I'm still pissed at you for not dying like you should have after I shot and stabbed you." She replied flippantly. "I'll admit you're damned tough, but I still don't see what's so special about you that you're worth chasing around half the freaking galaxy."  
  
"Just pissed off all the right people I suppose."  
  
"What are you doing here my dear?" Heero's cold voice interrupted from the doorway, the sudden influx of light making Keith wince, his pupils reshaping themselves to their normal human roundness.  
  
"Nothing Master!" The girl replied quickly, visibly wincing at the hint of disapproval present in the blonde man's words.  
  
"Do not act on your own little one." Heero warned quietly, "You will not like the results. Now go, I will decide upon your punishment later."  
  
"Yes Master." The girl replied meekly before fleeing the room as fast as she was able to without actually running.  
  
"Such an irritating little child." Hero said into the silence that followed with an exaggerated sigh. "But I suppose that is what one should expect from your daughter my dear mongrel."  
  
"My... daughter?" Keith asked, his heart tightening painfully in his chest.  
  
"Yes, I thought you'd find that interesting." Heero mused, smiling cruelly. "I had her created from DNA found at the site where my men killed that bitch of yours. You see, I have been most frustrated these past years by your ability to escape my every attempt at capturing you... and nothing seemed capable of relieving that frustration."  
  
"You fucking psychopath!" Keith snarled, only to receive a blow from the stun baton Heero had brought with him.  
  
"I'm not done yet mongrel." Heero responded quite happily, grinding the stun baton into Keith's side for several seconds. "It is impolite to interrupt a superior when they are talking you know. Now, as I was saying... To relieve that frustration I took the opportunity that your bitches death represented and had that girl made. A little mongrel I could do whatever I wanted to when you eluded me... and she is completely loyal to me. I am her GOD, and she is mine forever."  
  
"You fucking have me already you bastard." Keith snarled. "Let her go."  
  
"And lose the pleasure of torturing a part of you for the next few millennia?" the blonde asked, a cruel sneer firmly in place. "I think not."  
  
"I hope she kills you in your sleep you pathetic piece of shit."  
  
"Now it's time for your medicine Mongrel." Heero hissed, ignoring the insult as he pulled out a large syringe and stepped closer."  
  
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It was all she could do to hold back the tears that were trying to flow. It just wasn't fair! Damn her ears for being as good as they were. After overhearing that she couldn't even try and fool herself anymore. She'd always believe that Heero, the closest thing to a parent she'd ever had, cared about her somewhere down in the depths of his heart. But he hated her! He had created her just to relieve his own frustration!   
  
She bit back a sob, sinking down into a ball in the corner of the ship she was hiding in. He had used her to hunt down her real father. She hadn't even known she had had a father.  
  
It wasn't fair.  
  
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"M'Lady." The young guard greeted politely, bowing. "The ship carrying the prisoner will be here within the hour and the King requests that you join him at the central amphitheater as soon as you are able."  
  
"Has Lady Funaho been informed of this as well?" Misaki asked, her voice polite, but lacking even a trace of its normal cheerfulness. The elegant woman looked years older than she normally did, and the young guard could see the anger and anguish the normally emotional woman was feeling in her eyes.  
  
"Yes M'Lady." The guard replied immediately.  
  
"Then inform my husband that I will be there shortly... and not to start without me."  
  
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"I apologize for the delay." The Captains voice boomed out over the passenger ships intercom. "But unfortunately several warships are moving through the area and slowing all us civilians down. We should be moving again shortly though, so have patience."  
  
"Damn." Yosho muttered, his brow furrowing in frustration. "If the news reports have been accurate we are running out of time."  
  
"I still can't get through to any of the news stations on planet." Kanno replied, equally frustrated. "Comm traffic's so cluttered that nothing without at least Beta clearance is getting through, and that code you gave me is coming up as invalid."  
  
"We will simply have to hope that we arrive in time then." Yosho sighed.   
  
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She should be ecstatic; Ryoko had essentially withdrawn from their long rivalry. All but handed her Tenchi on a silver platter. So why was it that the only thing she was feeling was worry? Ryoko did NOT just give up on such things; it was not in her nature. And Ayeka had never seen anyone as devoted to a single person as the space-pirate was to Lord Tenchi. It simply did not make any sense.  
  
Unless...  
  
"Lord Tenchi? Are you there?" the purple-haired girl asked quietly as she entered the bridge where the young prince was theoretically on watch.  
  
"Yes Ayeka?" Tenchi responded, swiveling the control chair around to face her.  
  
"Go apologize to Ryoko right this instant!" she all but shouted, fire in her violet eyes.  
  
"Errr... what? Why?" was the confused young man's response.  
  
"I do not know why and it does not matter." Ayeka lectured. "You must have done something rather horrendous to that girl to get her as mad at you as she is, so hurry and apologize. And do it right."  
  
"Do it right?" Tenchi asked, completely baffled at the Elder princess's vehement insistence that he apologize to the girl that she regarded as a rival for his affections.  
  
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"I will not call for help goddammit." Ryoko muttered under her breath as she paused to catch her breath, leaning heavily on the med-bay's wall for support. She had barely gone ten feet since getting out of bed, but her legs felt like lead weights and every inch was a struggle.  
  
"Myah?" Ryo-Ohki asked, watching her sister's progress through her internal cameras.  
  
"No!" Ryoko snapped in response. "I can do this on my own."  
  
"Myah!" the cabbit reprimanded.  
  
"I know I'm being stubborn." Ryoko growled, forcing herself to take another step. "But I can still do this on my own. So just let me be stubborn."   
  
"Myah." Ryo-Ohki allowed with a sigh.  
  
"Thanks little sister." Ryoko responded genuinely, all but falling into the small bathroom.  
  
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At first glance it was a fairly standard amphitheater, much like thousands of sports arenas all across the galaxy, until one noticed that it had been literally carved from a stump of a single tree. Nearly a kilometer across along its long axis it could hold over two million people at peak capacity. In fact, it was so large that all but the front-most seats were equipped with automatic image enhancing equipment simply so that their occupants could actually see what was happening on the field. Today it's stands were filled.  
  
Normally the crowds were largely happy, out for a good time even if their team was the losing one, but not today. Today there would be no game, no entertainment, no joviality. Today they were here to witness a death. An execution of a murder of the worst sort. The killer of two of their most beloved. And justice would be dealt by their King, the father of the victims.   
  
The shuttle descended out of a sky that was much to bright and blue for such a grisly event, landing gently near the center of the great arena. After bare seconds, it's doors opened and several men stepped out, hauling a single tightly bound figure.  
  
He wanted to puke, but there was nothing left in him to come out, and the constant, painful, cramping of his stomach muscles was making him strain against his bindings in an attempt to curl up. Of course, this wasn't quite enough for him to miss the irony of them having strapped the one and only Christian outside of the Solar system to a cross. His immune system had finally given up on healing the minor injuries that had been inflicted upon him, and was concentrating his vastly diminished reserves of energy on the ones that were potentially life threatening and trying to purge the drugs from his system.  
  
Behind him, several figures left the shuttle and jogged to one of the arena's side passages, disappearing from sight bare seconds after the group moving him and the cross he was bound to what was apparently supposed to be his spot in the large field that was the stadiums focal point.  
  
His eyes were blurring from the pain and drugs, but they worked well enough for him to see three regal figures enter the arena by way of a large door set below the large dais that dominated one end of the complex. As they approached he forced himself to look up to watch them, trying his best not to look too pathetic. When they were only about 10 meters away, Heero stepped forward to meet them.  
  
"Milord, M'Ladies," he began, dipping into a formal bow, "may I present the criminal Mayhem. I regret that we were unable to bring him to you in better condition... but he put up quite a struggle."  
  
"That is quite alright Mr. Karishima." Azusa replied, waving away the apology. "You did well. Now leave us. There is a place waiting for you and your men in the royal seating area."   
  
"Yes, Milord." Heero responded with another bow, turning just long enough to gesture for his men to follow before heading for the door the Royals had entered through.  
  
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She sprinted through the corridors that made up the underbelly of the gigantic stadium, bee lining for one of the security elevators. Just before entering one of the public areas she tossed aside the GP dress cloak she had been wearing, revealing the uniform of a stadium security guard and slowed to a more sedate pace, her long ears and tail hidden by her hair and the loose clothing, and a somewhat oversized briefcase in hand.  
  
Slipping into the elevator barely 30 seconds later she stabbed the button for the roof, sliding her expertly forged ID card through the scanner when the elevators computer asked for verification. After a few brief seconds there was a chime and the elevator shot upwards.  
  
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"Yes, that will be fine." Yosho responded, trying desperately to keep his impatience with the man behind the car-rental counter in check.   
  
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kanno asked from behind him. "And you're gonna keep your promise about the interview, right?"  
  
"Of course." Yosho answered. "Now get moving." With that Kanno ran off.  
  
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"Ryoko?" Tenchi called as he entered the med bay and noticed the empty bed. "Where are you?"  
  
"Over here." As Ryoko's reply, her voice almost back to normal, but her tone betraying exactly how exhausted the girl was.  
  
"What in Kami's name are you doing back there?" Tenchi asked, spotting her foot sticking out from behind some of the monitoring equipment on the far side of the bed. Circling around he found the girl sitting on the floor with her back to the wall, breathing heavily.  
  
"Just taking breather. Not that it's any of your business." Ryoko responded, but the words lacked much venom, her exhaustion dampening their emotion. "I don't need your help."  
  
"I think that may be the most you've said to me in days." Tenchi replied, taking a seat on the floor next to her. "I've missed hearing your voice."  
  
"Don't let it go to your head Prince." Ryoko snorted. "And I still don't need your help."  
  
"I know you don't." Tenchi affirmed. "But not needing is a completely different thing from not wanting. So if you want any help, I'm here for you. We all are."  
  
"You're aware that I'm still extremely pissed at you, right Prince?" Ryoko asked with a sigh.  
  
"I know." Tenchi sighed. "And I undoubtedly deserve it for being selfish."  
  
"Selfish?"  
  
"I was about to lose one of the single most important things in my life, and in that moment... I learned something." Ryoko turned her head, meeting his eyes. "I learned that I'd rather die than go on without you in my life, even if it meant that you might end up hating me for it, it was a chance I had to take, and I can't bring myself to apologize for it. No matter how much certain people insist that I should."  
  
"Wha..." Ryoko started to ask, but was silenced by Tenchi placing a finger against her lips.  
  
"I love you Ryoko." Tenchi whispered, barely loud enough for even her sensitive ears to pick up. "And I'm sorry it took nearly losing you to figure that out."  
  
"Tenchi..." Ryoko started, her voice wavering with barely suppressed sobs, tears making her golden eyes shine.   
  
"So am I forgiven?" Tenchi teased, smiling at the frail girl beside him as she struggled to keep her composure.  
  
"It's a start." She laughed/sobbed, letting herself relax against him.  
  
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It took them about an hour to list off the charges he had been accused and convicted of. When they were finished he found himself wishing there were more. Every minute had let him heal just a little more... get just a little more of the conflicting drugs out of his system. As it was, he wasn't sure if he could form a coherent sentence if he tried.  
  
"Does the condemned have anything to say before the sentence is carried out?" Azusa asked coldly, staring intently at Keith.  
  
"Ah..." Keith tried, frowning in frustration as he put all of his concentration into forming the words. "Alive."  
  
"What?" Misaki asked, all but leaping between him and Azusa, her pink eyes blazing as they bore into his. "Who's alive? Who!?"  
  
"Ay..." Keith tried, coughing loudly in an attempt to clear his dry, constricted throat. "Ayeka's alive."   
  
"A feeble attempt to save your own worthless life." Azusa interjected, "One I should cut your tongue out for."  
  
"R' you so sure?" Keith coughed, forcing a smirk onto his face. "Sure enough to risk leav'in 'er stranded on some backwater hellhole fer the rest of 'er life?" That many words at once hurt like hell, but he managed to get them out so they were mostly understandable. Azusa and his wives exchanged quick glances, and apparently coming to some sort of agreement the King drew his hand across his throat, signaling the techs to cut off all of their microphones.  
  
"Talk you monster or..." Azusa began.  
  
"You'll kill me?" Keith coughed, his grin widening.   
  
"...or you'll wish I would." The regal man hissed.  
  
"What kind of sick pleasure do you get out of tearing my family apart you beast?" Misaki hissed, before he could say anything in response. "Do you have some grudge against Jurai? Some agenda that you're trying to fulfill? Tell me or I start breaking bones."  
  
"Just thought you had a cute daughter is all. Especially that birthmark on her..." . The subsequent blow snapped several ribs.  
  
"You sick..." the queen growled, unable to finish the sentence. In frustration she took a second swing, this time hitting one of his outstretched arms just below the shoulder. He could hear the bone crack... but barely felt it through the mix of drugs and general numbness his struggling healing abilities were creating. In short, he was long past pain, but even so, it was hard to maintain the cocky grin after those hits.  
  
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The girl had gone up those stairs.  
  
Yosho had already determined that he would never make it through the security in time to intervene... but he might be able to help elsewhere. Jurian security almost never hired off-worlders. And even when they did, none would ever be allowed to stand duty over an event attended by the royal family.  
  
Not that the girls disguise had been completely ineffective. No-one else seemed to have noticed anything amiss. And if she hadn't walked through that sunbeam and caused her extremely fine, almost non-existent really, fur to be noticeable for a brief moment, he would have overlooked her as well.  
  
He just hoped that the boy was able to stall long enough.  
  
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They didn't even get a chance to try and open communications. Immediately after entering the system Ro-Ohki was jumped by several patrol ships, too small to really hurt her, but more than enough to send out the call to the larger warships that were farther in system. It had been 700 years, but most of the captains were more than old enough to remember the last time the crystalline ship had visited.  
  
After all, one doesn't easily forget the first warship to ever break through Jurai's rather impressive defenses and assault the palace.  
  
The Jurian admiral on hand had seen the reports, knew that the ship and her captain were reformed... but such things didn't matter when said Admiral was busy attending the execution along with the entirety of the military high command.  
  
So Ryo-Ohki flew on, Tenchi riding atop her crimson dome once again as beam after beam of energy slammed into the shining white wings that protected her and the people she carried. And ahead, the blue and green jewel that was Jurai grew ever bigger.  
  
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"Sir!" We have a problem!" the tinny voice sounded in his ear.  
  
"Report." Heero replied calmly, turning to leave the viewing box with a polite bow to the nobles gathered there.  
  
"Sir, Ryo-Ohki has entered the system and is closing rapidly." The panicked officer reported, "The defense forces can't stop them at this rate, and people are screaming for orders! They'll be here in less than five minutes!"  
  
"Have you jammed external communications like I instructed?" Heero asked calmly as the door closed behind him, leaving him alone in the hallway.  
  
"Of course!" the officer responded, "no message can get into the arena without going through me."  
  
"Is anyone else there?" Heero asked as he strode down the corridor.   
  
"No sir." Was the simple, worried reply.   
  
"Then you may leave." Heero instructed. "Just be sure to disable the door so no-one can accidentally undo things before it's time."  
  
"Sir, thank you Sir!"  
  
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Her spot in the rafters was less than comfortable, but it was well hidden and gave her a full view of the arena below. With the sniper rifle that had been hidden for her by some of the men infiltrated into the arena staff by her master, she could kill anyone in the arena... at least anyone but the Royals, who were all but immune to such a low-powered weapon.  
  
"Aiken!" the call sounded in her earpiece.  
  
"Yes master?" she answered diligently, wincing inwardly at the so-called name her master had given her. The one that basically meant, pet dog.  
  
"We will be receiving some uninvited guests any minute now." he informed her. "If the mongrel is not dead before then, finish the job."  
  
"Yes master." She responded, trying to ignore the feel of her heart clenching tight in her chest.   
  
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"I will ask you one more time." The King growled. "If my daughter is alive, where is she and why does the evidence presented to us say otherwise?" Keith coughed, spitting up a good mouthful of blood from his damaged lungs. His healing abilities were all but spent. Even if they didn't kill him intentionally, he couldn't take many more of those punches.  
  
"Rylos 9." He answered, barely managing to keep the grin in place... though it didn't have quite the desired effect given his blood stained teeth. "Under lock and key with some very nasty guys keeping watch over her." He was starting to feel more clear-headed, though he wasn't sure if it was because the drugs were losing effect or if it was just the barely noticed, but still present pain keeping him alert.  
  
"And the evidence?" Misaki asked before her husband was able.  
  
"Hey, I said she was alive... I never claimed she was intact." Keith shot back, attempting a shrug. The reflexive, angry, blows that followed wiped the smirk from his face... along with several teeth. Blackness started to creep over his vision, but he managed to hold on to consciousness. Though barely.  
  
"Tell me EXACTLY where she is, and you might live to see one more sunset." Misaki hissed, drawing her light sword from her belt and activating it with a quick mental command.  
  
"Kill me and you kill her." Keith slurred, blood dripping from his ruined mouth and nose.  
  
"Monster." The blue haired woman hissed.  
  
"I've been called worse."   
  
  
  
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"We're almost there!" Washu shouted from her place on Ryo-Ohki's bridge. "Are you in place Ayeka?"  
  
"I am!" the violet haired girl responded from the crystalline ships lower exit, decked out in her battle garb. "But are you sure that this is a good idea?"  
  
"Given the bluff that the boy is trying to pull off, and the anti-teleport field they have set up over the arena, I'd say it's the only idea that's got a chance!" Washu retorted. "If we just do a fly-by, they'll probably just think you're safe and off him then and there."  
  
Ayeka didn't bother responding, and readied herself.  
  
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"What is that!?" Funaho asked, speaking for the first time since the ordeal began. Many in the crowd had noticed the same thing given the sudden commotion from the stands. With over a two million people in attendance, even a low murmur from the crowd was hard to miss.  
  
Misaki and Azusa looked up to where the elegant woman was pointing, even as some of the people in the crowd focused their image enhancers upwards. That's when the screams started as people started recognizing the infamous crystalline ship that was diving towards the arena.  
  
"Ryo-Ohki?!"  
  
"Took them long enough." Keith groaned, spitting up another mouthful of blood. None of the royals noticed, and he let the darkness claim him.  
  
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"Those must be our uninvited guests." She muttered to herself, taking careful aim at Keith's head. Her finger started to squeeze the trigger... and hesitated.  
  
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The crystalline battleship pulled up bare meters above the arena's rim, roaring past at several hundred kilometers per hour. Almost to late a single, small figure fell away from the cabbit-ship's underbelly.   
  
Barely a dozen meters above the ground, familiar power blazed around the figure, slowing her decent and redirecting her towards the center of the stadium where four figures, three free, one bound, waited.  
  
"She's alive." The three breathed as one, the blue haired woman collapsing to her knees.  
  
"Time to carry out the sentence then." Azusa growled, raising and igniting his sword.  
  
"Father NO!" the princess screamed.  
  
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"No, no more hesitation." She growled pulling the trigger, a bright bolt of plasma spewing from the weapons barrel.  
  
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"What?" Azusa asked, but despite the incredulity he stayed his hand. Not even a second later a plasma bolt sliced past him, impacting the ground bare meters behind the bound man's helpless form and sending a geyser of dirt into the air.  
  
The royals were moving a instant later, turning to face the source of the blast and taking defensive positions, their personal shields flaring into existence. Ayeka took the opportunity to sprint in front of Keith and raise her own shields to protect them both.  
  
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"Didn't your mother ever tell you that it isn't nice to shoot at people?" Yosho asked, the barrel of the plasma rifle in one hand, his other hand twisting the young woman's arm behind her, effectively immobilizing her.  
  
"Fuck." Was the simplistic response.   
  
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"Oh Tsunami." Ayeka gasped, turning to look at Keith after it was clear that there were going to be no more shots fired.   
  
"Ayeka!" Misaki shouted, grabbing the girl from behind, lifting her off her feet with the force of the hug. "I thought you were dead! Are you all right? How did you escape? Is everyone else alright?" the queen was babbling at that point, but she didn't particularly care.  
  
"I'm fine Mother." Ayeka gasped. "We all are. Now put me down!"  
  
"Thank Tsunami." She sobbed, the sentiment echoed by her sister and husband. With another quick squeeze she put her elder daughter down. Ayeka immediately placed her hand against the vine-like bonds holding Keith and released them with a mental command that was carried to them through her key.  
  
The unconscious boy immediately collapsed, almost directly into her waiting arms. 


	12. Chapter 12 : Parenthood

Disclaimer - Mine = Keith, Sari, Erin, Heero. Not Mine = Everyone else.  
  
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Mayhem, Chaos, And General Messes  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Parenthood  
  
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The steady hum of the medical monitors and the drip of the IV were the only sounds in the room aside from Keith's and her own breathing. This wing of the hospital had basically closed down for the night, though one could occasionally hear the faint sound of sirens as a new patient was brought into the emergency ward on the other side of the building. She'd been in the hospital room since Keith had been brought in nearly twelve hours ago, despite her parent's protests. She had taken over the bed next to his in the room, and was currently trying, rather unsuccessfully to get some sleep.  
  
Keith hadn't so much as twitched since she'd removed his bonds at the arena. The doctors had almost refused to treat him at first, but had quickly changed their minds after a brief, angry, encounter with the violet tressed princess. Washu had helped where she could, but had left the job mostly in the hands of the doctors.   
  
"Sometimes experience is more important than intelligence, and this is most definitely one of those times." The diminutive redhead had said before leaving Keith in the care of the staff doctors so she could monitor her daughter's recovery more carefully.  
  
The scruffy young man's condition was stable at this point, though he had been near death from a combination of pure physical abuse and drug overdose that had taxed his remarkable healing abilities past their limits. According to the doctors, his body had been basically eating itself alive to repair the damage, and it had been only through a hastily devised method of filtering the drugs directly out of his blood and the much more primitive method of force-feeding the comatose boy a series of high protein "shakes" that they had managed to stabilize him.  
  
Now they... she, had to wait. There was apparently nothing else to do but make sure his body was getting the nutrition it needed to repair itself, and the IV was doing that.  
  
So she waited.  
  
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"I still find it hard to believe that a former member of the Imperial guard tried to kill my daughters," Azusa growled before sinking back into the plush chair he occupied with a tired sigh "but I can hardly deny the testimony you have presented to me. Unfortunately though, he seems to have made good his escape."  
  
"What?" Washu growled in response. "How did that happen?" The red-haired scientist hated the blonde-haired man as badly as the king that was sitting across from her did, if not more so. Having ones daughter nearly killed tended to breed those kinds of feelings after all.  
  
"I wish we had an answer for you Professor Washu," Funaho answered from her own seat "but the man seems to have planned for his escape very well. We will find him though, it will just take time."  
  
"I hope you're right." Washu sighed, reigning in her frayed temper. The three sat in quiet contemplation for several minutes after that, sipping on the tea that the always-attentive palace staff had provided.  
  
"Washu-chan," Funaho started, interrupting the silence, "would you happen to know why Ayeka is so intent on the fate and well-being of that Mayhem fellow? I understand that he and all of you have come to something of an understanding... but she refuses to leave his side even now." The queen hesitated briefly before adding, "And the boy knew at least one rather... intimate detail about her when we were... questioning... him before your rather spectacular entrance."  
  
"As much as it always hurts to say this, I don't know." The scientist admitted with a shrug. "He seemed likeable enough before the group split up, but I didn't have much opportunity to watch them interact before that happened I'm afraid."  
  
"Likable!" Azusa sorted in disbelief, "That murderer?"  
  
"The kids no innocent your Majesty, that much I'll admit." Washu responded, meeting the fuming King's gaze, "He isn't a murderer though, and when he wakes up I think I can give you proof of that."  
  
"We will see." Azusa replied evenly before going back to his tea.  
  
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"How're you feeling Ryoko?" Tenchi asked, sitting down on the edge of her bed and taking her hand in his.  
  
"Better." The cyan haired girl replied with a smile. And she was starting to look a lot better too. Under her mothers attentive care... and with access to the Jurian's sophisticated medical equipment and supplies she was finally starting to regain some of the weight that the injuries had caused her to lose. She was still much thinner than she normally was, but she no longer looked like she'd been in a concentration camp. Her hair had grown nearly an inch as well, and was starting to curl a little.  
  
"So how long does Washu say you're going to be stuck in bed? The young prince asked after a short, comfortable silence.  
  
"A few more days." Ryoko responded with a shrug. "Where's Mayuka?"  
  
"Mihoshi volunteered to watch her for a while." Tenchi responded quietly.  
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Ryoko drawled, a teasing smile on her lips.  
  
"Eh, the both of them were falling asleep when I left, Mayuka should be safe." Tenchi chuckled.  
  
"That's good." Ryoko returned, eyes twinkling. "So, when are we going to tell her?" she added, her voice turning serious.  
  
"Huh?" Tenchi started, confused briefly by the sudden change of subject. "Oh... Ayeka."  
  
"Yes, Ayeka." Ryoko confirmed, poking him in his side with her free hand. "You know, purple hair, kinda whiny, loves you almost as much as I do... Ayeka."  
  
"I don't know." Tenchi sighed after a bit. "Can't we keep things secret for a little while?"  
  
"Tenchi!" Ryoko snapped, irritated. "No! I am not going to run around behind everyone's backs like that. It's not fair to Ayeka, and it's not fair to us either." Tenchi winced.  
  
"I know," the young man sighed, squeezing her hand, "you're right of course. It's just that..." he trailed off.  
  
"She's not going to blow up Japan or anything because you chose someone else ya know."  
  
"Are you sure about that?" Tenchi returned with a grin.  
  
"Reasonably."  
  
"Fine, I'll tell her..." Tenchi sighed, "Just not quite right this second." And with that he bent down to kiss her. Ryoko decided that was as good a place as any to end the conversation.  
  
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"Sari?" Sasami whispered as she entered one of the palace's several-thousand guest rooms. "Are you awake?"  
  
"Hmm?" came the tired reply from the oversized bed that dominated the center of the room. "What's up kid?"  
  
"I'm worried..." Sasami started hesitantly, "and everyone else is already asleep or busy."  
  
"Hop on up kid." The tiny blonde sighed, patting the bed beside her. "Tell aunt Sari all about it. Just be warned that I'm not all that good at this type o' sh... err... stuff." Sasami accepted the invitation, and was on the bed almost before Sari finished talking.  
  
"I heard Father talking about Keith," the young princess explained, "he still wants to execute him."  
  
"Can't say I'm surprised everything considered," Sari responded with a shrug, "Keith did kill his brother you know."  
  
"He really did that?" Sasami asked woefully. "I was hoping that part wasn't true."  
  
"I'm afraid it's true Sammy." Sari confirmed, giving the little girl's hand a squeeze. "It was in self-defense though, and to defend Talia. I'm afraid your Uncle wasn't a very nice man."  
  
"He told you about it then?" Sasami asked, curious despite herself.  
  
"Mmm-hmm. They were trying to escape." Sari began. "Thy had almost made it out of the palace when your Uncle caught them. More specifically he caught Talia and put his sword to her throat." Sasami gasped a little at this revelation, but didn't interrupt.  
  
"Keith says he doesn't really remember what happened next, but Talia always said that he went completely berserk when your uncle threatened to kill her. He was across the room and..." Sari paused, remembering exactly whom she was talking to. "And you don't need to hear the rest."  
  
"But..." Sasami protested.  
  
"No." the blonde mechanic cut her off. "All you need to know is that Keith would never hurt anyone if he wasn't forced to."   
  
"...Alright." Sasami allowed, searching the other girl's eyes for any sign of deceit and finding none.   
  
"Anything else?" Sari asked after a brief pause.  
  
"Well... I don't think my parents are going to be very happy if they find out that Ayeka likes him. Or if they find out they were kissing." Sasami whispered.  
  
"Especially if they find out what else those two were probably doing." Sari thought, suppressing a groan as she the imagined potential consequences. Aloud she just said, "I guess we'll just have to make sure they don't find out for a good long while then, right?"  
  
"Right!" Sasami replied seriously.  
  
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She wasn't sure when exactly she had fallen asleep, but the clatter of someone dropping something or other in the hallway was more than enough to startle her awake. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she glanced at the room's only clock and sighed. It was still rather early in the morning, but she could tell already that she wasn't going to be getting any more rest this day. Outside the window she could already see the sky starting to lighten.  
  
In the bed beside hers, Keith lay unmoving, except for the comfortingly steady rise and fall of his chest under the thin blankets. The heartbeat monitor was still showing a steady rhythm, and it looked like someone had replaced his IV bad with a new one while she had been asleep. She couldn't really see any improvement in his condition... but she admitted that her knowledge in such areas was minimal at best.  
  
"Kami I feel filthy." The princess muttered under her breath, running her hand through her long purple hair and grimacing when she felt the tangles and oils that had accumulated after too long without a wash. The clothing that she was wearing, the skirt and T-shirt Keith had made her wear to Rylos, was not faring any better. "I need a bath."  
  
Glancing around the sterile room, she spotted the door to the compact bathroom and climbed out of bed, hoping that it at least would have a shower she could make use of.  
  
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Misaki all but sneaked down the hospital corridor, not wanting to draw any attention from the staff or the prying eyes of Jurai's ever-present and somewhat over-eager press. While she normally didn't mind their prying all that much, accepting it largely as one of the prices of being Royalty, she didn't want those vultures descending on her or her family when they weren't ready to answer the questions that were likely to be asked. After all, it was one thing to be asked, it was another to be caught unprepared.  
  
Slipping into the hospital room, the Queen immediately noticed the empty bed, and the sound of running water coming from the small bathroom a split second later. That half-formed question resolved, she turned her attention to the second bed and it's rather notorious occupant.  
  
Looking down at his still form she had to admit that the boy was less than threatening, with the bruises and other injuries she and others had inflicted on him he actually managed to look rather helpless in fact. She had to admit that she felt the tiniest hint of guilt looking at him. Though that was largely negated by the fact that he had been trying to provoke her. Or at least that's what she thought he was trying to do.  
  
From the small bathroom she heard the running water shut off and the sound of someone getting out of a shower, so she took a seat on the edge of the unoccupied bed to wait for her daughter to emerge. It wasn't a terribly long wait. Ayeka stepped into the main room still dripping, one towel preserving her modesty... though barely, and a second covered most of her head as she used it to dry her hair. As a result it took the girl a second to realize that her mother was there... more than long enough for the Queen to notice a faded, but still rather obvious bruise on the side of her neck.  
  
"Please tell me that wasn't put there by the man lying in that bed." Misaki stated, straining to keep her temper under control, her finger leveled at Keith's sleeping form.  
  
"Mother!" Ayeka started, the towel on her head falling to the floor as she slapped one hand over the offending mark, and the other went to the make sure that the other towel she had wrapped around her didn't join it.  
  
"I'm waiting Ayeka." The blue-haired woman prompted with a glare, rising to her feet.  
  
"It was him." Ayeka admitted meekly.   
  
"Explain." Misaki said, her voice tight as she contemplated castrating the man sleeping in the next bed.   
  
"I... we... I mean..." Ayeka stuttered, trying to think of an answer that wouldn't get Keith killed in his sleep. "He's really a good person Mother." She sighed at last. "A bit rough around the edges, but..."  
  
"And do you let every man you deem to be a "good person" have their way with you?" Misaki interrupted, struggling to keep her voice quiet enough to prevent anyone in the hall from overhearing her.  
  
"Mother!" Ayeka hissed, hurt by the accusation... even if it was not far from the truth. "He did not have his way with me for Tsunami's sake!"  
  
"Then how did he know about your birthmark?" the queen all but growled. "It would take quite a bit more than some simple necking for him to have seen that Ayeka."  
  
"I don't know!" Ayeka snapped back, trying desperately to think of a plausible story.  
  
"Walked in on her when she was in the bath..." his voice was scratchy and quieter even than their whispers, but perfectly audible. "...managed to get away before she noticed apparently."  
  
"Keith!" Ayeka gasped, all but leaping to his bedside, her towel staying in place more through luck than anything else. "Good timing." She whispered into his ear as she gave him a hug, barely resisting the surprisingly powerful urge to kiss him. He just grinned in response.  
  
"How long have you been awake?" Misaki asked, glaring at both of them. "And your towel is slipping dear." Ayeka let out a reflexive eek and sprung back a few steps, hastily readjusting the offending piece of cloth as she did so.  
  
"Since "He did not have his way with me..." I think." Keith responded, smirking a bit.  
  
"And was she telling the truth?"  
  
"Despite my best attempts to make her a liar on that one... yes." Keith grinned, managing to renew the blush Ayeka had been wearing since the start of the encounter once again.  
  
"Keith!" Ayeka gasped in horror, glancing at her mother.  
  
"Do you like pain that much Mr. Mayhem?" the queen asked, her voice deadly quiet. Ayeka could all but see the Jurai power building around her mother. "Because I can think of no other reason for you trying so hard to provoke me."  
  
"Sorry." Keith responded with a tired sigh, the grin disappearing from his face. "Bad habit of mine... I tend to run my mouth when I'm feeling helpless like this. In all seriousness, I like your daughter. She is a vibrant, spirited, kind, and beautiful woman. We've kissed, I gave her a hickey... but that's about he extent of it." He turned his head to meet the queen's gaze. "That better?"  
  
"It is a step in the right direction Mr. Mayhem." The queen replied, visibly relaxing, but not losing the deadly glare she had adopted whenever she looked at him. "But even with the new evidence presented to us in the form of Heero Karishima's betrayal... you still are responsible for the death of my brother-in-law." She paused, switching her glare to her daughter, "Your Uncle Ayeka."  
  
"I'm aware of his past Mother." Ayeka replied, a bit more harshly than she intended.  
  
"And you care for him despite the fact that he murdered a member of your family?" the Queen almost shouted, catching herself barely in time.  
  
"I didn't murder him!" Keith hissed, but was drowned out by Ayeka's nearly simultaneous response.  
  
"It was not murder! That much I am certain of, and we will provide you with the evidence to prove it as soon as Miss Washu and Keith are ready." The young woman took a deep breath to calm herself and gather her thoughts before continuing. "And for your information Mother, I do not know how I feel about Keith quite yet... we've barely known each other a week after all... but at the very least he is my friend. I will not abandon him simply because you do not approve of the friendship."  
  
Misaki sat back down on the bed with a tired sigh, rubbing her temples as if to ward off a headache.  
  
"So nothing I can say will change your mind about this Ayeka?" the blue haired woman asked, frustration evident in her voice.  
  
"I am afraid not mother." was the less than apologetic-sounding response.   
  
"Then I do hope you can provide the evidence you have promised, and do it soon." Misaki warned. "Otherwise your father and I are going to be executing your friend."  
  
"Makes patching me up like this kinda pointless don't it?" Keith interrupted.  
  
"My Husband and I think so." The queen Retorted coldly. "Fortunately for you, Ayeka and Sasami insisted." With that the blue-haired woman stormed out of the room, barely resisting the urge to slam the door.  
  
"Well, that went well." Keith commented.  
  
"How do you come to that conclusion?" Ayeka asked incredulously.  
  
"Well for starters, she saw the hickey and yet I'm not a eunuch." He replied, only half joking. Ayeka just rolled her eyes at the comment, though she couldn't keep a hint of an amused smirk off her face.  
  
"And...?" the young woman.  
  
"Well... I got to see you dressed in nothing but a towel... that's always a plus." He added with a lecherous grin, reaching out to finger the bottom edge of said piece of cloth.  
  
"Do not make me slap you when you are injured Keith-san." Ayeka warned teasingly through the resultant blush, reaching down pushing his hand away from the towel. "So is there anything else?"  
  
"Just the fact that she did at least suggest that she'd let me go if we produced that evidence... assuming that wasn't just a bluff on your part that is." As he answered, he grabbed her hand in his as she pushed his away from the edge of her towel, giving it a comforting squeeze and pulling her closer.  
  
"I hope it is not." Ayeka sighed, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Though I suppose that in the end it is up to Washu's skills... and possibly whatever information that we can get from that girl."  
  
"What girl?"  
  
  
  
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Tenchi had been a little surprised to learn that Ayeka had spent the night in Keith's hospital room. The man had been stable and expected to recover when the rest of the group had eventually gone to bed, not to mention the fact that the hospital staff had been very firm about them all obeying the visiting hour rules and kicked the rest of them out.  
  
"I guess being a Princess carries a bit of weight." The young man mused as he walked down the hospital's corridors. The building was just starting to wake up, and it was still several hours before visiting hours officially began, but he'd managed to get past the nursing staff without incident so far. They were either to tired or too busy to notice him this early in the morning he guessed.  
  
"Now which way is it to the room again?" he muttered as he came to a fork in the hallway. He wasn't long in wondering.  
  
"Keith! Come back here!" The shout echoed up the corridor on his left as the person in question rounded a corner into Tenchi's line of sight, pulling a Long sleeve shirt on, his chest and the mess of scars covering it visible for a brief second. The newest ones, still an angry red, were enough to make Tenchi wince in sympathy.   
  
"You are not well enough to be wandering about yet!" Ayeka, hastily gathering her still damp hair into a loose ponytail, and dressed in a pair of slightly ill-fitting slacks and a blouse that wasn't buttoned properly, rounded the corner barely three seconds later.  
  
"Hey, Tenchi!" Keith greeted, sounding more than a bit distracted. "Which way is it to the front door?"  
  
"Err... down that hall and to the left." Tenchi replied, pointing. "But I think Ayeka's right, you should be in bed." He added, real concern in his voice.  
  
"Stop him Tenchi-sama." Ayeka shouted, all but breaking into a sprint to catch up to Keith before he passed the young prince.  
  
"I'll go back to bed right after I retrieve my daughter and make sure she's safe." The scruffy young man bit out, pushing past the other boy.  
  
"Your daughter?"  
  
"The sniper that Yosho captured at the stadium." Ayeka explained, storming past Tenchi in pursuit of the now jogging Keith.  
  
"You're kidding." Tenchi replied, completely baffled, before following.  
  
"I wish I was." she sighed.  
  
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"Sir!" the prisoner is on the move." The young guard reported into his radio as Mayhem stepped into the lobby, moving at a fast walk.  
  
"Well stop him!" was the immediate response.  
  
"Stop right there!" the young guard shouted at the oncoming figure, thumbing his staff's stun option to the on position. His partner on his right quickly followed suit. Neither of them even felt the stun blasts that dropped them to the ground.  
  
"Keith!" Ayeka shouted, "What in Tsunami's name do you think you're doing! And where did you get that gun!"  
  
"I'm in a hurry." Keith growled back, "And the gun was in my bag. You know, the one you thought you were carrying." He added, holding up his multi-dimensional pouch so she could see it.  
  
"Damned thief." Ayeka growled in response, glaring daggers at him as he exited the hospital seconds before she did.  
  
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She had been abandoned. Used and left to rot. It probably would have hurt more if she hadn't expected it. As things were, she just felt a sort of heavy depression... and found herself wishing they'd just execute her and be done with it. At least she thought they were going to execute her... fuck, trying to kill your own father had to be an executable offense. Even if you'd only talked to the guy once. So far though, they'd just asked her questions between stints locked up in the plain cell she was currently occupying. She was idly tracing patterns in the knot-work of the wooden walls with a finger when she heard commotion outside her cell.  
  
A lot of commotion.  
  
She blinked, her silver eyes quickly adjusting to the sudden influx of light from the hallway as someone stepped into the cell with her. A someone that was starting to be familiar to her.  
  
"So..." Keith hesitated, unsure of where to start as he looked at his new-found daughter.  
  
"You're still alive." She stated flatly, unsure if she should be relieved, or upset, or... "What do yah want?"  
  
"Not a clue." Keith replied with a sigh, sinking to the ground as the effort of the last hour or so sunk in. Ayeka had been right, he wasn't well enough to be running around like this yet. "I have a daughter, a part of my wife is still alive. Part of me is ecstatic at the thought. The rest of me is just confused."  
  
"Welcome to the fuckin' club." The girl snorted, wrapping her arms around her knees. "I just found out I've been trying to kill my real father and the man I thought of as my father had me made just so he could hate me."  
  
"I wish I could have stolen you from that bastard before he had a chance to hurt you." Keith sighed, his hands clenching into tight fists by his sides.  
  
"Me too..." she whispered back, a tear rolling down her cheek.  
  
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The crowd in the hallway had mostly dispersed, leaving Tenchi, Ayeka, and a pair of still very-confused guards.  
  
"What do you think they are talking about Tenchi-sama?" Ayeka asked the young man standing next to her quietly.  
  
"Dunno." Tenchi shrugged. "I mean their situation and mine with Mayuka are sort of similar from what little he told us... but you know him better than I do Ayeka."  
  
"...he looked somewhat angry..." she started, worry obvious in her tone. "I mean... he's nearly as gentle a person as you are underneath that rough exterior of his but..."  
  
"Do you trust him?" Tenchi asked, watching her expressions carefully.  
  
"...Yes..." she answered after a long pause. "Yes, I do."  
  
"Then keep trusting him."  
  
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"You know you have a grandmother and a grandfather back on my home planet." Keith stated after a few minutes of silence.  
  
"I do?" she asked, somewhat surprised by the new information.  
  
"Yep." Keith affirmed, smiling slightly at the curiosity evident in her voice. "And an Aunt and Uncle... and probably a great-grandma too. You have a whole family waiting for you if you want them."  
  
"A family..." she repeated wondrously. "Then..." without the combat armor and with the harsh expression she had worn during their last encounter she looked even younger than he'd first thought, at most fourteen, maybe less.  
  
"Hmm?" Keith prompted gently.  
  
"You want me to come with you?" she whispered, her silver eyes wet with unshed tears.  
  
"You're my daughter." He smiled softly. "Even if I couldn't be there for you before, I want to be a part of your life from now on. I don't know if I can really be a father to you... but at the very least I want to be a friend." He could feel tears forming in his own eyes.  
  
"I..." the girl started hesitantly. "I... I think... I'd like that."  
  
"Good." Keith replied with a relived sigh, a happy smile forming on his face. "So... what's your name?"  
  
"...Aiken..." she stated hesitantly, grimacing a bit as she told him the derogatory name she had been given by Heero.  
  
"Aiken?" Keith repeated, grimacing as well. "That'll never do."  
  
"Wha?" she looked up at him, confusion evident on her face.  
  
"As my right as your biological father, I think I'm gonna have to give you a proper name." He explained with a grin. "...With your permission of course." He added. She just nodded dumbly in response, more than a little emotionally confused by their conversation so far.  
  
"Hmm..." Keith thought, one hand idly playing with the goatee decorating his chin, as he scrutinized her. "Well Catherine or any variation thereof is out..." he muttered after a bit "... the Cat jokes would probably dive you nuts in a matter of weeks."  
  
"Cat jokes?" she asked, unable to see what he strange word he had muttered had to do with neko's. He ignored her comment, still lost in thought.  
  
"Ah! Got it!" Keith exclaimed suddenly, grinning at his newfound daughter. "Erin!"  
  
"Erin?" she asked, testing the name out. "What's it mean?"  
  
"Peace... I think." He answered with a shrug. "But that's not why I picked it."  
  
"Then why?" she asked, now truly curious.  
  
"It was the name of one of your great-grandmothers," the shaggy young man explained. "and she was a remarkable woman. She was an orphan and very poor growing up, but she managed to overcome every disadvantage she had and worked her way not only through college, but medical school as well. She was a top surgeon at a major hospital until she was seventy years old. And seventy is very old on my home planet."  
  
"Ah." She responded in quiet understanding.  
  
"Of course, if you don't like it we can always just started going through a baby name dictionary until we find something you do." Keith shrugged.  
  
"No, I... I like it." She responded after a few seconds, a genuine smile forming on her lips for the first time that Keith had ever seen.  
  
"Well then Erin O'Connor." Keith intoned formally, pushing himself back onto his feet and stepping over to the bed. "Welcome to the family." With that he leaned over and pulled her into a hug.  
  
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"What is going on here!" Azusa seethed as he stalked into the hallway. "First I hear that that criminal Mayhem has broken out of his hospital room, my daughter in tow, and then he breaks INTO one of our high security prisons and locks himself in the cell of someone who tried to kill him! Explain this to me Ayeka."  
  
"She is apparently his daughter." Ayeka responded tiredly from where she was sitting on the floor, her hand going to her neck to make sure the chocker hiding the faded bruise was still in place. "And while I apologize for you being disturbed from whatever matter you were attending to Father, there is little for you to get upset about in this."   
  
"What I am upset about is that my Daughter, who was keeping watch over the man in question, not only did not stop him from escaping, but also was apparently aiding him in his escape." the regal man lectured. "It is bad enough that your brother allowed that reporter to circulate that story, but to have you seen helping a known criminal to the extent that you have..."  
  
"What story?" Ayeka interrupted, curious. 


	13. Chapter 13 : Knowledge Hurts

Disclaimer - Blah Blah Blah... you know which ones aren't mine already.  
  
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Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes   
  
Chapter 13  
  
Knowledge Hurts  
  
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"In the news today, we follow up on yesterday's shocking revelation in the case against the class C criminal known as Mayhem." the newscaster's voice, dripping with practiced charm, started. "Sightings at the hospital where Mayhem was transferred after yesterdays near-execution further confirm that he and Princess Ayeka are in fact good friends." Behind him a picture came up showing Ayeka asleep in the hospital room with Keith.  
  
"How did they?" Ayeka started to ask, blushing a bit, though she sounded more annoyed than embarrassed. Tenchi shushed her. They; Ayeka, Tenchi, Sari, Mihoshi, and Kiyone; were currently making use of Tenchi's assigned guest room to watch the news and figure out a course of action while Washu gave the party's injured and Keith's new-found daughter a check-up back at the hospital.   
  
"As you all probably know by now," the reporter continued, "the most recent murder charges against Mayhem have been proved to be false by Princess Ayeka and Sasami's last second intervention at yesterday's near-execution, and according to the story that was released... he may have in fact saved their lives. What everyone wants to know now is will this be enough to offset the previous murder charges leveled against him? Today we have with us Mr....". Sari hit the mute button on the remote, cutting the reporter off as the screen shifted to show a short, round man sitting beside him.  
  
"Blah, blah, blah." The diminutive blonde said with a disgusted snort. "Fucking vultures."  
  
"Don't complain too hard," Tenchi commented, "those vultures are probably one of the reasons Keith-san is still alive after all."  
  
"Well, he never actually saved any of our lives, not directly anyway," Kiyone mused, "but the rumor should at least make it a bit more difficult for the Royal house to make their case against him."  
  
"Like they really need a legitimate reason to off someone they don't like." Sari groused, sinking further into the plush chair she occupied.  
  
"That's a little harsh." Tenchi observed, wincing a bit at the vehemence in the tiny blonde's voice.  
  
"My parents are not that bad!" Ayeka protested.  
  
"Dammit..." Sari sighed, "sorry about that Ayeka. I'm just a bit pissed at the whole situation is all."  
  
"I am as well." Ayeka agreed with a sigh. "I can however understand my parents position on the matter, no matter how much I may disagree with it. We are simply going to have to prove his innocence in the matter."  
  
"Well we could look at the security tapes." Mihoshi suggested, yawning lazily.  
  
"I almost hate to say it," Kiyone sighed, looking at her partner, who was stretched out on the guest room's plush bed, looking half awake at best, "but that's not a bad idea. I doubt they were checked for signs of tampering. Not given the circumstances behind them."  
  
"I will ask my Mother if she can get those for us." Ayeka volunteered. "She is the head of palace security after all."  
  
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"Well, you're in remarkably good shape everything considered." Washu reported as she looked over the results of the tests she had just run. "You're showing signs of malnourishment, some atrophying of muscle tissue, a minor fever... though that seems to just be a side-effect of your healing process... and the rest of it is withdrawal symptoms from that narcotic the doctors filtered out of your bloodstream when the first got a hold of you."  
  
Keith just nodded, not really trusting himself to talk as another convulsion ran through him. He cursed under his breath as it forced him to curl up on the narrow hospital bed. From a seat to the side, Erin watched with concern.  
  
"So he's gonna be alright?" the young girl asked, her long ears twitching a bit as she gave the diminutive scientist a questioning look. She had been all but frantic when her newfound parent had started convulsing violently shortly after he had given her her new name.  
  
"He'll be fine." Washu confirmed. "And now that I know what to treat, I can help with some of symptoms too." Pulling a small device out of a dimensional pocket, she carefully attached it to the back of his neck, just below his shirts collar.  
  
"What was that?" Keith asked in relief as the convulsions diminished and disappeared.  
  
"A neural filter." Washu explained even as she made a few final adjustments. "It analyses the electric impulses being transmitted along your spinal chord and filters out the ones that are causing those convulsions. It won't help with the rest of the symptoms... you're going to have to deal with them on your own I'm afraid, but at least this way you won't accidentally bite your tongue off in the middle of the night."  
  
"Thanks Doc." Keith said with a grin. "It's appreciated."   
  
"It'd better be." Washu returned with a grin of her own. "Now it's your turn young lady." She added, turning to look at Erin.   
  
"Me?" Erin gulped, "but I feel fine! I'm perfectly healthy!" she protested as Washu stepped closer.  
  
"No one who's less than a year old and as physically mature as you are gets that way without some side effects young lady." Washu lectured. "I need to do a scan of that thick skull of yours and make sure there weren't any developmental issues at the very least."  
  
"But..." she started, looking to Keith for support.  
  
"Sorry kiddo," Keith apologized, getting to his feet, still a bit shaky but much improved, "she's right."  
  
"Fine." She pouted, her ears visibly drooping in defeat.  
  
"I'll be gentle about it." Washu assured the girl. "So if you'll just take off your shirt and lie down on the bed there." She instructed, closing the privacy curtain around the bed.  
  
"Dad?" Erin called from the other side of the flimsy barrier, the word still unfamiliar, but comforting in it's own way.  
  
"Yeah Erin?"   
  
"You're gonna stay right?" she asked, the nervousness she was feeling obviously apparent.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere." Keith assured.  
  
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She floated down the hallway, the huge windows lining it looking out at the night sky, and found herself wishing that she was doing so under her own power. Hell, she'd rather walk the whole way than be stuck in the glorified wheelchair she was strapped into. But orders were orders, and she grudgingly admitted that she wouldn't have made it more than a hundred feet if she'd tried. She was still to damned weak.  
  
Maneuvering the bulky down the cavernous hallway, she finally spotted the door she was looking for. Getting as close to it as she could Ryoko stabbed the doorbell. Doing so she noted with disgust that even her hands were too thin, the bones standing out sharply under the skin. She was eating as much as her stomach and Washu would allow, but she just wasn't putting on weight fast enough for her own tastes. Hell, she thought with a disgusted snort, her breasts were smaller than Ayeka's right now.  
  
"Yes?" a familiar voice asked as the door swung open. "Oh! Ryoko. How're you feeling?" Sasami exclaimed happily.  
  
"Hey Sammy." The former pirate greeted in return, giving the girl a lopsided smile. "I'm doing alright I guess. Is you're sister in?  
  
"I'm afraid not." The young girl apologized. "She and the others are down in Tenchi's room I think."  
  
"So why're you stuck up here all alone then?" Ryoko asked, as bit surprised. "Don't tell me they ditched yah."  
  
"Of course they didn't" Sasami laughed. "I'm just visiting with my Mom is all. Do you want to come in for a while and join us for some after-dinner tea?  
  
"Err..." Ryoko hesitated; wincing a bit in remembrance of the unintentional abuse the overly affectionate woman had visited upon her in the past.  
  
"Don't worry," Sasami assured with a smile, "I'll make sure she behaves herself."  
  
"Alright then." Ryoko allowed, "but I'm holding you to that promise kiddo."  
  
"Ryoko-chan!" the blue haired queen exclaimed happily, getting out of her seat as the girl in question came into the room. "I'm so glad to see you up and about."  
  
"It's good to seen up and about." Ryoko returned with a slightly nervous smile. "Though I wish it was under my own power instead of in this chair."  
  
"I can sympathize." The queen returned with a sympathetic smile, moving one of the chairs around the able out of the way to make room for Ryoko's hover-chair. "I was stuck in one of those for nearly a month once after a training accident. Broke four vertebrae in my lower back."  
  
"Ouch." The ex-pirate responded, wincing at the thought of being stuck in a chair like this for that long. "How'd you cope?"  
  
"Not terribly well I'm afraid." The queen admitted sheepishly. "I was a holy terror for most of the month."  
  
  
  
"You weren't that bad mom," Sasami protested, "you were just a bit... stressed."  
  
"Thank you Sasami, but threatening to throw your father off the palace roof because he put the wrong kind of jam on my morning toast is a bit more than just stressed." The older woman responded with a chuckle.  
  
"Well..." Sasami began to protest, but changed her mind, turning to Ryoko instead. "How do you want your tea Ryoko?"   
  
"Err..." Ryoko's brow furrowed as she thought about that. She hadn't had any tea since Washu had restored her sense of taste, so she wasn't even sure what the stuff tasted like. Before she had just dumped as much sugar into it as the tea could dissolve because she like the sugar rush, but she wasn't sure how that'd actually taste. "I'll just have it the same way you are Sammy."  
  
"Okay." the little girl nodded, pouring the ex-pirate a cup and adding a spoonful of sugar. "And do you want any cake? It's chocolate." She added with a grin.  
  
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"Well the good news is that you're in pretty good shape for someone with your origins, no true mental controls to speak of, and they did a good job with the speed learning procedures." Washu announced, handing Erin back her shirt and retracting the last of the medical scanners that she had been using. "No major genetic defects, no special dietary requirements... overall you're an excellent blending of your parent's species."   
  
"And the bad news?" Erin asked nervously as she sat up and pulled on her shirt. "No one ever says that unless there's bad news."  
  
"The bad news is that your nervous system, particularly your brain, is noticeably farther behind in it's development than the rest of your body." Washu sighed.   
  
"Which means what?" Keith interjected from the other side of the privacy screen.  
  
"In a practical sense it means Erin here has the body of a 15 year old, and the mind and accompanying nervous system of someone 5 years younger than that." Washu elaborated, pulling back the privacy curtain so Keith could see, before switching her gaze to the girl in front of her. "It's putting a lot of stress on your body and mind Erin. If it weren't for some implants you have to help compensate for it, it probably would have killed you by now. If we don't do anything about it you've got maybe two years left."  
  
"Is... is there any way to...?" Erin's voice trailed off, tears threatening to spill out of her silvery eyes. Keith stepped up beside the bed, wrapping his arms around the girl in a comforting hug, which she accepted after only a moment's hesitation.  
  
"Of course." Washu grinned. "But it's not going to be easy on you... and it's going to take a day or two to implement."  
  
"Hey, it's gotta be better than dying." Erin sniffed.   
  
"So... what exactly are you going to do?" Keith asked, looking at the diminutive scientist curiously.  
  
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"I think I'm going to be sick." Sari gasped, the blood rushing from her face and her eyes going wide. Behind her Ayeka turned away from the monitor, her hand over her mouth as she tried very hard not to throw up.   
  
"Holy..." Kiyone gasped, but managed to resist the urge to look away. Beside her, Mihoshi let out a squeak of surprise and fell out of her chair with a thump.  
  
Tenchi couldn't blame them. The images weren't pretty. Unlike the thankfully few other deaths he had witnessed or caused... this one involved no fancy effects, no fading away into nothingness like Kagato or anything like that. It was brutally simple and gory as all hell, and it had happened so fast he had barely seen how it had been done.  
  
On the screen Keith and Duke Satoshima had been standing across a room from each other. Satoshima had raised his sword and Keith's form had... rippled. Barely a second later Keith's unarmed form was across the thirty feet that had separated him and the Duke, and the Duke's head had literally been ripped from his shoulders. Tenchi was only glad that there had been no audio.  
  
"Is... is it over?" Ayeka asked, still turned towards the door.  
  
"Yeah." Kiyone confirmed, staring at the paused image of Keith's feral form, the dark-furred figure a disturbing red-brown in many places from the Duke's blood. The teal haired detective was having a hard time wrapping her head around the idea that the savage creature she was looking at was the laid-back, kind, goofy, young man she'd dealt with over the past week.  
  
"Fuck." Sari exclaimed softly, "I've heard the story like twenty times... I knew what was gonna fucking happen... but..." the tiny blonde trailed off, shivering a bit at the brutality of what she had just seen.  
  
"Have you ever seen him like that before?" Mihoshi asked, her blue eyes huge and fixated on the screen.  
  
"Just once, some thug was dumb enough to pull a gun on Talia. He took the dumbass's hand off." Sari answered. "He hates it when it happens, says it's like he's looking at the world through a red haze and something else is controlling his body."  
  
  
  
"How dangerous is he like that?" Kiyone asked quietly, her police-trained mind trying to figure out how they would stop him if they had to.  
  
"Depends on how much he likes you." Sari shrugged. "If you're close enough to him, like Talia was, he might as well be a big puppy. But even if you're a complete stranger, he's not dangerous unless he thinks you're a threat."  
  
"And if he hates you to begin with?" Ayeka asked.  
  
"All bets are off." The tiny blonde shrugged. "He might just growl at you, he might do what we just saw him do to Satoshima there. In all seriousness, just consider him a wild animal when he's like that."  
  
"How does one go about calming him down, getting him back to normal?" Ayeka asked, leaning over to get a closer look at the bloody figure on the screen.  
  
"Dunno. That was always Talia's area of expertise." Sari sighed. "But as fascinating a subject as this is, weren't we trying to see if the tapes was altered or not?"  
  
"Right." Kiyone muttered and started typing.  
  
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"So you like the cake then Ryoko-chan?" Misaki asked, resisting the urge to laugh as she watched the cyan-haired girl literally lick her plate clean of the chocolate frosting that represented the last remnants of the aforementioned cake. Ryoko immediately stopped, putting the plate down and turning an interesting shade of red as she realized exactly how silly she looked. Too embarrassed to think of something to say she settled for simply nodding.  
  
"I don't think I've ever seen you that enthusiastic about chocolate cake before." Sasami noted, looking at the older girl curiously. "I make it all the time after all."  
  
"Guess I was just hungry." Ryoko answered sheepishly. "My body wants food so bad right now that everything tastes better than it normally does." She lied, not wanting to hurt the little girls feelings by telling her that she had never really tasted any of her cooking other than that bento she'd brought her when they'd all met up again.  
  
"It's alright Ryoko-chan." Misaki reassured, smiling hugely. "If I had your metabolism I'd probably eat one of those cakes on my own every day. Speaking of which... Sasami dear?"  
  
"Yes mommy?"  
  
"Would you run down to the kitchen and ask the cooks to make another one for Ryoko to take back with her for the rest of your friends?"  
  
"Sure." Sasami replied cheerfully, but rolled her eyes when she walked past Ryoko, recognizing a polite attempt at getting her out of the room when she heard one.  
  
The blue haired woman watched her younger daughter leave, then let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair, her face going serious.  
  
"As much as I hate to disrupt this pleasant mood, there are a few things I'd like to ask you about Ryoko." She continued after a few seconds of silence.  
  
"Shoot. But if it's about Keith I really don't know how much I'll be able to help you." The ex-pirate shrugged, glad for the change in subject.  
  
"It is." Misaki sighed. "And the fact that you aren't as close to him as the other girls are is the reason I wanted to talk to you." Ryoko just nodded in understanding, gesturing for the older woman to continue.  
  
"What kind of person would you say he is?"  
  
"A crook." Ryoko answered with a crooked grin. "But a honest one." When the queen just gave her a confused look she continued. "Given any other choice in the matter I doubt he'd be what he is. He's got the talent and the right kind of mind to be a damn good pirate, but he's got the entirely wrong kind of personality."  
  
"I don't understand." The queen admitted.  
  
"He's a softy." Ryoko sighed. "He's just to nice a guy to be a real crook is all. I just don't believe that he's a murderer. And trust me... if anyone knows this crap, I do."  
  
"Well I guess that makes it unanimous." Misaki sighed. "I guess I will just have to accept that I should give the boy a chance. Funaho should be easy enough to convince of the same, but my husband will undoubtedly require every bit of proof that all of you can provide."  
  
"Undoubtedly." Ryoko smirked.  
  
"Just one more question then."  
  
"Go for it."  
  
"Has Ayeka talked to you at all about her relationship with him?" The Cyan haired girl just blinked.  
  
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"So how long is she going to be in there?" Keith asked, tapping on the glass tube encasing Erin.  
  
"Twenty six hours thirty seven minutes." Washu answered in her best doctors voice as she adjusted a few controls on the readout beside the oversized tube. "After that she'll need to spend several days in a medical exoskeleton while she adjusts, and about two months taking the supplements I'll be giving you in just a few minutes."  
  
"So she's going to come out of this thing with her body and nervous systems the same age then?" Keith asked, turning to look at the diminutive redhead beside him.   
  
"That's the idea." Washu confirmed.   
  
"So is she going to come out of there looking pretty much the same or...?"  
  
"She'll look like a ten year old little girl." The redhead smiled. "Personally I think it 'll be good for her. Everyone needs to have a little bit of a childhood at least." Her smile grew a bit melancholy with that, and she shook her head violently to expel the guilty thoughts that tried to take hold as she pictured what Ryoko would have looked like if she'd ever had a chance to be a kid.  
  
"You're probably right about that." Keith agreed. "But I doubt she's going to be all that happy about it at first."  
  
"Probably." Washu laughed. "But that's what daddy's are for."  
  
"Great." The shaggy young man muttered, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Now I want you to get some sleep Keith." Washu ordered, pointing to a bed in the corner of the room. "You are not even remotely close to being finished healing and you've been on your feet all day."  
  
"What time is it exactly?" Keith asked, glancing around for a clock.  
  
"9:30 in the evening."   
  
"Guess I'll take your advice then. Goodnight Washu-chan, and thanks."  
  
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"Yo! Ayeka!" Ryoko called as the regal young woman rounded the corner of the hallway in front of her. "Do yah have a minute?"  
  
"Of course Ryoko" Ayeka replied with a genuine, if slightly distracted smile. "What is it you want to talk about?"  
  
"I was talking to your mom..." Ryoko began, but was interrupted almost immediately by Ayeka's groan of despair.  
  
"Oh Tsunami, she just refuses to leave well enough alone." The purple haired young woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation.  
  
"I think that's kinda universal trait shared by all moms." Ryoko laughed.   
  
"I suppose you are correct." Ayeka sighed. "But you were saying? Or perhaps I should ask what she was saying?"  
  
"According to your dear sweet Mother, you and Keith have been getting kinda close this past week or so." Ryoko teased, a wicked grin making her look like the space pirate she still claimed to be. "And if what I smelled on you before was any indication... she was telling me the truth." The scarlet blush that immediately formed on the princess's cheeks was more than enough of an answer... not that that was going to stop the cyan haired girl from pressing for more details.  
  
"Please tell me you did not tell her about that." Ayeka begged.  
  
"Of course not!" Ryoko exclaimed, feigning shock... though poorly. "I wouldn't have any leverage for getting the juicy stuff outta yah if I did that."  
  
"You... you... Monster woman!"   
  
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"Hold that pose for just a second Keith." Washu instructed, turning around to pick another piece of equipment off the table behind her. Keith rolled his eyes, but did as instructed, holding the awkward position as best he could. His arms held straight out at his sides, his chin against his chest and bent halfway over so the diminutive redhead could properly position various sensor pads on his back, head, arms, and chest.   
  
A good night's rest and a huge, protein-rich breakfast had done wonders, but he was still feeling much to weak for his own taste. That combined with the general restless, itchy, feeling that he was feeling as a result of the linger effects of the drugs were making the process of getting ready for the hearing later that day more of a torture session than it would have been otherwise. Not that there was any point in complaining about it.   
  
"How much longer is this gonna take to set up?" He asked as she attached a pair of electrodes to his forehead with exacting care.  
  
"Just another minute." Washu replied absently, wrapping a band of some type around his upper left arm. "Just be thankful I'm not doing another checkup, I might be tempted to put sensors in much more embarrassing places than I have already." She added teasingly, patting him on his bare chest.  
  
"Hey, sounds like fun." Keith returned, giving the redhead a wink.  
  
"That all depends on the patient." Washu laughed.  
  
"Ahem." Ayeka coughed, glaring at them... well Keith anyway... as she entered the room. "If you two are done flirting, my mother and Lady Funaho would like to know when you will be ready to start?" On the table holding Washu's equipment a sensor began to beep.  
  
"Hold on a second." Washu responded with a frown, holding a finger up to silence any further questions as she picked up the device. After playing with for a few seconds she added, "Could you step out of the room for about 30 seconds and then come back in Ayeka?"  
  
"I suppose..." was the Princess's confused response, but she did as she was told, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind her. Washu kept a careful eye on the device in her hand, tapping a few commands into its small control panel. After about ten seconds the device stopped beeping.  
  
"What's up?" Keith asked, watching the small scientist intently.  
  
"Just a minute." Was Washu's absentminded response. When Ayeka came back into the room a few seconds later the redhead grinned hugely, but the device didn't start beeping again.  
  
"What in Tsunami's name was that all about Washu-sa... chan." Ayeka asked, correcting herself at the last second in response to Washu's glare.  
  
"Pheromones." The small woman responded with a grin.   
  
"Pheromones?" Ayeka and Keith chorused.  
  
"Yep." Washu cackled. "Lover boy here started dumping them out at about 4 times his normal levels when you stepped into the room. Threw all my chemically based sensors completely off until I recalibrated them."  
  
"I put out pheromones?" Keith asked, thoroughly confused. "Those little scent molecules used to attract members of the opposite sex? Those pheromones?"  
  
"Of course you do... though it's just a tad more complex of an issue than that." Washu responded, still grinning. "Most humanoid's in the galaxy have them in one form or another. Yours are just a bit more potent than most."  
  
"How potent?" the shaggy youth asked, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach as he watched Ayeka out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"Oh relax." Washu laughed. "They're pretty potent by human or Jurian standards, but they're still barely noticeable. Any effect they have is going to be negligible, at worst they'd act as a mild aphrodisiac."  
  
"So no unnatural powers of seduction then?" Keith asked jokingly, letting out a relieved sigh. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ayeka do the same.  
  
"Well, if we locked you two in a closet or something for a few hours we might have a problem on our hands." Washu responded with a shrug. "But anything short of that and it's not going to do much."  
  
Keith paled.   
  
"I... I think I will wait outside with the others..." Ayeka announced, her face nearly as white as his. With that she turned and fled from the room.  
  
"Was it something I said?" Washu asked as the door slammed shut behind the princesses fleeing form.  
  
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It was all he could do not to resist the urge to turn his small craft back towards Jurai and attempt to kill the mongrel and all his little helpers. If it wasn't for his duty to both his old master and his current master he likely would have stayed behind with a rifle of his own to make sure the job had been finished. But duty and his own honor prevented him from taking the easy, likely suicidal way out. There were still jobs that had to be done, and preparations to be made, and his time as a simple hunter had come to an end.  
  
"Heero?" a heavily scrambled voice chirped from the ships comm. system. "Are you there?"  
  
"Yes, I am here My Lord." The cold blonde man responded formally. Nobody else but his master knew this ship's comm. code after all.  
  
"I see you're attempt at revenge has fallen through." Even as distorted as it was, he could hear the disapproval towards his failure in the other's voice. "But it is a small matter."  
  
"Yes Sire." He replied through gritted teeth.  
  
"Fortunately for you, you have always worked better among the darker elements than you have through normal channels... so you remain useful." the voice mused. "Even more fortunately, your actions have provided us with at least one small opportunity. If it proves truly useful, it will go a ways towards your redemption."  
  
"Thank you my Lord."  
  
"Don't thank me to soon." The voice warned. "The others are still far from happy with your actions, and there is only so much I can do to protect you. I would suggest you do not make any more mistakes Heero... I do not think you would like the cost."  
  
"I understand." Heero replied, thankful that the simple audio signal did not betray his expression.  
  
"I hope that you do. Now report to your new post as soon as you are able and wait there for further orders." Without waiting for confirmation the signal cut out with a snap... after all, he had little choice but to obey. Confirmation was unneeded. 


	14. Chapter 14 : Spotlights and Shadows…

Disclaimer - Mayhem Mine. Original cast Not mine.  
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Mayhem, Chaos, And General Messes

Chapter 14

Spotlights and Shadows...

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"One of the most controversial and surprising criminal cases in recent memory may very well reach its conclusion today, here at the Royal Criminal Court building in Jurai city Jurai." The young female reporter's voice blared over the small TV that sat in the corner of the bar. Heero watched out of the corner of one eye, trying hard to suppress the growl that tried to escape as a picture of the mongrel that had been his prey for so long appeared behind the pretty young woman.

"Class C criminal Mayhem, shown here during his flight from the Jurai Royal Hospital yesterday, was until recently considered to be a murderer of the most heinous sort, but the most recent rumors and the little information we have managed to confirm would indicate that Mayhem may in fact be a relative innocent. Though critics of this new view have been quick to point out that no explanation has been presented for the gruesome security footage that marked the beginning of his criminal career."

Heero snorted into his drink, a rather foul tasting brew that was fortunately not potent enough for him to actually get drunk off of, but smelled bad enough to make people think he was no more sober than anyone else in the dive. He'd learned long ago that people of the type he seemed destined to deal with always felt more comfortable dealing with each other when they thought the other party was at least slightly inebriated.

On every channel it was the same, half of the "experts" were claiming that the mongrel was a victim, even a complete innocent, and the other half were calling for his head. It was almost enough to make him want to drown his sorrows in alcohol for real, and if it weren't for the business at hand he might have very well given into that urge... even with the foul drinks they served in this place.

Just as he was beginning to contemplate shooting out the television with his sidearm, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and heard the distinctive thunk of the establishment's heavy front door opening and closing. Surreptitiously glancing towards the sound and movement he recognized his contact, but didn't react, merely waited as the portly man made his way towards the booth he was occupying.

As arranged the man walked right past him, sitting in the next booth over, his back to Heero's. The man, a rather jovial fellow, ordered a large meal, flirting shamelessly with the waitress the entire time despite her being at best half of his age. Sometime later, after the man had gone through a considerable portion of his order, he surreptitiously slipped a thin envelope underneath the small gap between the two booth's shared backrest and collected the envelope that Heero slipped back to him. After several minutes Heero tossed back the remains of his drink, left a few bills on the table in payment and left.

It was an old ploy... but sometimes the old ploys worked best.

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She wasn't sure how to feel about the news Washu had just given them really... pheromones of all things! Though it did explain quite a bit... including her own out of character behavior when they had been stuck in that damned shuttle together. Angrily Ayeka punched the smooth wooden wall of the corridor, and immediately wished she hadn't as pain flared in her knuckles. Looking down she noted that she had managed to split three of her knuckles, and though the bleeding was minimal, it stung. Fortunately, the long sleeves of her formal kimono covered her hands and cuts. She considered going back to the medical lab to get it treated, but quickly changed her mind when she remembered who was still in there.

"Why do these things always have to me so complicated?" she muttered angrily to herself before turning towards the hall where her parents and several dozen others waited. Including nearly a dozen members of the planet's overly enthusiastic press corp.

Neither her nor her parents wanted the press in the chambers while the case was being reviewed, but political pressure not only from the public, but a number of other nobles as well, had basically forced them to allow the press in. She wasn't sure which group she detested more sometimes, the press or her fellow nobles. Particularly after spending several years living essentially as a commoner

Pausing briefly before the big wooden doors leading to the council chamber where the hearing was to be held, the regal young woman took a few deep breaths to calm herself and then pushed the doors open, and was immediately greeted by the click and whir of cameras and the murmur of voices trying to talk about the latest gossip without being overheard by the wrong people.

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"So how'd you warrant an invite to this show rookie?" the elderly reporter asked, nudging Kanno with his elbow.

"Oh... just have a few friends in high places." The young reporter answered with a grin as he made a few last minute adjustments to his new, rather expensive holocamera.

"You and everyone else in this bloody courtroom Kid." The elderly man snorted, his cynical gaze drifting around the room lazily. The extra attention he paid to the four members of the Royal family already sitting up front hardly noticeable even if one had been watching him closely. No one was. "The real question is... What favors do you owe these friends in high places?"

Before Kanno could give an appropriately witty reply the doors to the hearing chamber swung open and the last member of the royal family glided into the chamber, the silk of her ceremonial robes looking almost liquid in the soft light of the chamber. Immediately every camera in the room focused on her and the assembled reporters all but fought to get the best shot of the lovely young woman.

"Is it just me, or does she look a little... upset?" Kanno muttered aloud, focusing his own camera to get a close-up of her face before she took her seat on the defendants bench alongside her younger sister and the only thing they'd be able to see was the back of her head.

"A bit." The other reporter replied with a shrug. "Can't say I'm surprised though. If even one tenth of the rumors going around are right, she's got a lot to be pissed about."

"No kidding." Kanno agreed, smirking slightly as he double-checked the camera's memory card.

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"Oh crap." The red-haired scientist groaned after Keith explained why Ayeka had had such a bad reaction to the news she'd given them about the pheromones Keith emitted. "Me and my big mouth... I'm sorry Keith."

"Nothing for you to be sorry about Washu-chan." Keith sighed. "I'm glad you said something... even if the timing could've been better. Better for her to be pissed now than do something she'll really regret later because she didn't know."

"So you two didn't...?" Washu asked, her natural curiosity getting the better of her. Keith just shook his head in reply.

"How close did you come then? It had to have been pretty close considering her reaction."

"Too close." Keith admitted. "If the ship hadn't come out of hyperspace when it did..."

"I see..." Washu muttered, her brows furrowing as she thought the problem over. "Well that's a problem that can wait for later. For now, you're ready to go... I'll call the bailiff and we'll get this party started!" she grinned.

"Sure..." Keith sighed. "Just do me one favor."

"Depends on the favor." Washu smirked.

"If worse comes to worse could you get this and my daughter to my parents?" the shaggy haired man asked, holding out a small data-pad. "There are instructions on how to find them already in there."

"Of course." The small scientist said, accepting the data-pad with a solemn nod. "I doubt it's really going to be needed though."

"I wish I had your confidence about it." He muttered as she called for a bailiff that was supposed to escort him to the hearing chamber.

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Keith briefly considered knocking out the young guardsman who was acting as his Bailiff and making a run for it, but quickly nixed the idea when he considered where he was. He might have been good, but he was still in bad shape and the building and the city around it was too well guarded for him to have a chance even if he'd been in peak condition. I didn't mean he couldn't make a pest of himself though.

"Any chance of getting a snack before we go in?"

"No."

"But I haven't eaten anything since breakfast!"

"It's not even 10 in the morning yet!"

Keith would have continued, but they arrived at the doors to the hearing chamber and he figured that intentionally making an ass of himself in front of the judge was a bad idea. The real question would be if could avoid unintentionally making an ass out of himself as well.

The silence that met them as they entered the room was almost deafening... at least for the first 2 seconds. Then the cameras came to life and the room was filled with the hum of whispered conversations. Sasami almost immediately stood and started walking towards him, but Ayeka in the seat beside her gently grabbed her arm and shook her head no, bending over to whisper something in the blue-haired girls ear once she sat back down. Keith found himself led to the table where those two and a man that he didn't recognize in the least were sitting, and was all but forced into a chair between the man and Ayeka.

Immediately after he sat down, his restraints were attached to the chair itself and tightened, effectively immobilizing his arms and legs.

"Glad to see they're concerned with my comfort." the shaggy haired youth muttered sarcastically.

"I'm sorry I couldn't meet you at the door Keith-san." Sasami whispered over her sister. "Ayeka said it was against the rules."

"No worries Kid, I appreciate the thought." He answered with a quirky smile, though he was hard pressed to keep it in place for long when he noticed that Ayeka was refusing to look at him.

"Mr. Mayhem?" a deep voice asked from his other side.

"Huh? Oh sorry." Was Keith's somewhat distracted response as he turned to look at the man. He was fairly elderly by Jurian standards, with his hair just barely starting to turn gray at the temples, and deep lines showing at the corners of his eyes and mouth. "You my lawyer?"

"That would be correct young man, my name is Michio Jurai."

"You're a member of the royal family?" Keith exclaimed, more than a little surprised.

"He is my Granduncle." Ayeka explained, "And he has been kind enough to represent you on my request, the least you can do is not sound so surprised Keith-San."

"It's quite alright Ayeka." Michio chuckled. "While my nephew over there is not terribly happy about the situation, everyone deserves a fair shake. And the evidence my niece has presented to me makes me think you have a rather strong case."

"I do?" Keith replied wonderingly. Ayeka just elbowed him under the table. "Well that's good to hear... but wasn't Karishima...?"

"He was my relative, one of my brother's sons..." the older man sighed. "But I can't say I'm surprised at his end given some of his rumored activities. No, given what I've seen and heard, I don't blame you for his death. At least not at the moment."

"At the moment?"

"Well, if you fail the lie detector test in this hearing..." Michio trailed off warningly.

"Understood." The shaggy haired young man gulped. "Well then, given the situation you might as well call me by my real name then."

"For legal purposes, that would probably be a good idea." The elder man affirmed, a hint of a smile appearing on his lined face.

"Keith Alan O'Connor, at your service." He grinned, purposely mimicking his grandfather's deep Irish accent as he said it. "I'd shake your hand if I could, but..." he shrugged.

"Don't worry yourself over it." Michio acknowledged. He looked like he might say something else, but at that point the Judge entered, and the Bailiff called for everyone to stand. Keith, still bound to his chair didn't bother to try.

"So, as I understand it, this hearing has been called because the previously non-existent defense for Mr. Mayhem over here has some new evidence to present?" the judge, a woman who would have looked to be middle-aged if not for the steel gray of her hair, asked, staring pointedly at their table.

"That would be correct your honor." Michio responded, his deep bass carrying easily over the entirety of the room without him needing to raise it beyond a normal speaking tone. "Though the defense would like to note for the records that the defendant's real name is Mr. Keith O'Connor, and request that he be referred to by this name for the duration of the proceedings."

"I see no problem with that." The judge nodded, "Does the prosecution have any objection?"

"No your honor." The prosecutor, a young looking man with deep blue, nearly black, hair replied. Though he didn't look all that pleased with the development.

"Very well then, according to this, the new evidence includes the original security footage, a number of character witnesses, and testimony from the accused while being monitored by a lie detector. One designed by Professor Washu specifically for use on the accused at that!" the judge sounded genuinely impressed by that particular detail. "Can the prosecution give any reasons why any piece of evidence should not be accepted?"

"As long as we get our chance to cross examine the witnesses and accused when they are on the stand, no." Keith could almost swear he heard Azusa growl at that.

"Well then, I suppose that only leaves us with one more thing to do before we start this circus." The judge announced, glaring at the assembled media before turning her gaze towards Keith. "Mr. O'Connor, do you understand that today is not a trial, but rather a hearing to decide if a trial should even take place based on not only the evidence brought forward today, but on past evidence as well?"

"Yes your honor." He replied, his throat dry.

"Very well then, how would the defense like to proceed?"

"We would like to start with our character witnesses... assuming the prosecution has no objections?" the prosecutor merely shook his head to indicate that he didn't.

"Then I'd like to call my first witness, Ayeka Jurai." Michio announced, gesturing for the violet-haired girl to take the stand as the audience murmured to each other and the watching press snapped more pictures and took notes. Keith just found himself hoping that she wasn't too pissed at him.

The swearing in was simple, almost familiar to Keith, but rather than placing her hand on a bible or other holy text as she took the oath, she instead placed her hand upon a small branch taken from the holy tree, Tsunami. When he asked, Sasami explained that only the highest courts followed this custom, the lower courts instead swore people in using a carved seal with Tsunami's symbol on its face.

"Princess Ayeka, would you please tell the court how long you have known Mr. O'Connor?" Michio asked, his tone professional despite the smile he directed at his grandniece.

"A little more than a week... though I admit it seems like much longer." Ayeka replied, her tone of voice giving no clue as to if she meant the latter half of that comment as a good thing or a bad thing.

"Would you say that you know him very well?"

"I would say I know Keith unusually well considering how short a time it has been since we met." was Ayeka's somewhat sardonic reply, and this time she couldn't keep a hint of a smile from reaching her lips.

"And what is your impression of him as a person?"

"As a person?" Ayeka repeated, her brow furrowing ever so slightly as she considered the question. "Well, despite his rough exterior, twisted sense of humor, and often irresponsible attitude..." she started, her mouth turning up at one corner in an impressive impression of one of the shaggy young man's typical smirks, "he is a kind, loyal, brave, and occasionally even thoughtful person."

"Would you consider him capable of murder?"

"No." she responded instantly, shaking her head vehemently to emphasize her answer. "I saw that man willingly give himself up to a man he knew was going to try and see him dead in order to save others. He is no murderer."

"No more questions your honor." Michio announced formally, striding back to his seat even as the prosecutor stood to begin asking his questions.

"Princess Ayeka," the younger man began, casually adjusting the sleeves of his formal black and red outfit, "you mentioned how long you've known Mr. O'Connor, but you have yet to tell us _how_ you met him. Could you please enlighten the court how this unlikely event occurred?"

Ayeka visibly started, surprised that the man had even known to ask such a question, but quickly calmed herself. It was a logical thing to ask she supposed.

"Truth be told, we tracked the man down." She shrugged, somehow making the gesture seem elegant. "After the Galaxy police chased him to the planet my Sister and I have been staying on, Miss Washu's surveillance system tracked him to a nearby city, and at my insistence we went after him."

"So you met him as a group then?" the prosecutor asked, though his tone made it sound as if he already knew the answer to that. Ayeka had to consciously suppress the growl of frustration that tried to escape. She had been hoping that he was shooting in the dark, but apparently he had somehow heard what had happened already.

"No. My friends and I were forced to split up in order to locate him." She answered, somewhat reluctantly, though anyone who didn't know her well wouldn't have noticed.

"I see." The black-clad man nodded thoughtfully. "So which one of your group encountered Mr. O'Connor first?"

"I did." She replied, this time the hesitation in her voice obvious to everyone listening. Keith and Sasami exchanged worried glances; both knowing that Ayeka wouldn't... couldn't... lie.

"And what happened then?" the prosecutor asked, sounding nearly as smug as he looked. Ayeka didn't answer for several seconds, throwing an apologetic look in Keith's direction... it was the first time she'd looked at him since the hearing had begun. He just smiled back to indicate that he understood, though the smile was a weak one.

"He captured me." The violet haired princess sighed, her shoulders slumping the tiniest bit at the admission.

"And how long were you held captive Princess Ayeka."

"Roughly two days." Ayeka muttered, glaring openly at her questioner.

"So you were kidnapped then?" It wasn't really a question.

"In the most technical sense, I suppose so." She admitted reluctantly. "However, Keith did let me go of his own violation, and..."

"No further questions your Honor." The prosecutor cut her off. "And based on this new information I request that the honorable Princess's testimony be removed from the defense."

"On what Basis?" the judge asked, beating Michio to the question by a millisecond

"Based on a common psychological phenomena that appears in kidnap situations, commonly known as Sankret Syndrome among Jurian psychologists. Victims, over time, become sympathetic to their captors as a way of dealing with the violence and abuse they are faced with. I believe there is a possibility that the Princess has been affected by this and her testimony should be considered invalid."

"Sustained." The judge agreed, "The defense will remove Princess Ayeka from the list of character witnesses for any future trial."

"Friggin' Stockholm syndrome." Keith growled under his breath, feeling a bit of grudging admiration for the lawyer's strategy. "Slick." For her part, Ayeka looked absolutely livid as she was dismissed from the stand and stalked back to her seat at the defense's table.

"Well that's one point in their favor." Michio commented as Ayeka sat down. "But it's a minor one, and the rest of our character witnesses should be a lot harder to get rid of."

Michio turned out to be right. The prosecution, despite several valiant attempts was unable to convince the judge to dismiss any of the others. Sari he went after harder than any of the others, but despite revealing what planet she was from, he was unable to present any evidence she was anything other than a starship mechanic. Sari had always been good at covering her tracks.

After the witnesses had all been brought forth, the judge called for lunch break, and various elements of the press ran off to report to their employers even as most everyone else filtered out to actually get something to eat and drink. Sasami crossed the room to talk to her parents, and Michio stood to talk to the judge. Still bound to his chair, Keith's stomach growled loudly.

"So do I get something to eat too, or do I just have to sit here till everybody else gets back?" Keith groused, only half-jokingly, as his empty stomach had been screaming at him for food for the past two hours. Ayeka glanced at him, though she studiously avoided meeting his eyes. Much to her surprise, she had found that she wasn't actually mad at him, though she was still upset at what she had learned. Not to say she was about to let him off the hook so easily as that of course.

"I suppose that the dining hall is well ventilated enough that I can take you to get something to eat Keith-san." She sighed in an exaggerated manner even as she gestured for the bailiff. Keith almost retorted harshly, but caught the slight smirk she was trying to hide and settled for rolling his eyes.

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Tenchi found Ryoko laid out on the bed in his dimly lit quarters... seemingly asleep, the blankets pulled up to her chin and her bare feet sticking out the other end. He could see Mayuka fast asleep in the portable crib he had had set up in one corner of the room, so she wasn't here for one of her traditional attempts on his virginity. The spiky-haired youth was rather surprised to realize that he was slightly disappointed by that fact. Not that he'd actually give in to any such attempt, he didn't think either of them were really ready for that kind of thing yet, but...

"Mmmm...?" the cyan-haired girl mumbled cutely, rolling onto her side to look in his direction. "That you Tenchi?"

"Yeah." Tenchi answered with a nod, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Ryoko replied with a yawn, one hand reaching out from under the blanket to grasp his. Her exposed arm wasn't as thin as it had been the day before, but it still was far from the toned muscle Tenchi normally associated with the girl. "My gems did a lot of work last night... I can walk on my own again." she added, her golden eyes flashing to match the pirate-like grin that formed on her face.

"I guess that explains why there's no sign of your hover chair." Tenchi mused, returning her grin with a soft smile of his own.

"If I never see that thing again it'll be to soon." She grimaced, her eyes narrowing briefly before the happy grin returned. "So what're you doing down here? Shouldn't you be up watching the Royals trying to screw Keith over?"

"They're taking a break for lunch." He explained before adding, "And not all of them are out to get the guy you know."

"True," Ryoko mused, "Ayeka wants to screw him in a completely different way." She added with a wicked grin.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi hissed in admonishment, trying hard to keep his voice down and avoid waking up Mayuka.

"Sorry." She chuckled, not sounding the least bit contrite, "Easy shot, I had to take it."

"Well at least wait until you're better before you start teasing Ayeka where she can hear you again." Tenchi responded with an exaggerated sigh. "I don't want you getting yourself killed after I just got you back after all."

"Bah, I can take her."

"Ryoko, you couldn't take my nephew right now, much less an angry Ayeka." Tenchi pointed out with a smirk, poking her in the stomach to emphasize his point and eliciting a very un-pirate-like giggle out of the cyan-haired girl. "And since when have you been ticklish?"

"I'm not!" She denied quickly, but her face did a poor job of hiding the lie. Tenchi took it as a challenge and very quickly had the cyan-haired girl to the point where she was having trouble catching her breath through the laughter... unfortunately the noise was more than enough to wake up Mayuka.

"You're so going to pay for that." Ryoko threatened, still trying to catch her breath and giving Tenchi a fierce mock-glare as she watched him retrieve his crying daughter from the crib.

"Hey, a man has to take such opportunities when they present themselves Ryoko-chan." Tenchi chuckled. In his arms, Mayuka almost immediately quieted down, giggling happily simply because it was Tenchi holding her. "Once you're back up to full strength I won't have a chance."

"True." Ryoko admitted with a predatory smile. "But you're still going to pay for that."

"Guess that means I'll have to get you as many times as I can while I still do have a chance then." Tenchi teased sitting back down on the edge of the bed, Rocking Mayuka gently in his arms, one of her chubby fists grabbing a solid handful of his shirt. Ryoko just settled for sticking her tongue out at the spiky-haired boy, reaching over to tickle Mayuka as she did so.

"So..." she started after a few comfortable minutes of silence, "have you talked to Ayeka yet?"

"I've tried," Tenchi sighed, "but I apparently have horrible timing. Every time I've tried something manages to stop me."

"Well try harder then." Ryoko responded jokingly, though Tenchi could hear the slight hint of genuine annoyance that crept into the cyan-haired pirates tone.

"I will." The young prince assured quietly.

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"Well things seem to be going pretty well so far." Keith noted between bites of his second sandwich. Ayeka hadn't said anything since they'd sat down to eat; she'd just been absently picking at her salad, and was refusing to so much as look him in the eyes. It was starting to drive him nuts.

"I suppose." The princess responded listlessly, her royal-purple eyes still fixed on her increasingly mangled salad.

"You're still mad aren't you?" Keith sighed, leaning back in his chair and fixing his silver eyes on what little he could see of her face under her bangs. When she didn't answer after a few moments he continued, "C'mon Ayeka-chan, at least look at me won't yah?"

"No Keith, I am not mad at you." She responded finally, looking up a bit hesitantly, but meeting his eyes nonetheless. "I am upset and rather embarrassed by the situation though." She explained in a soft voice, obviously trying to make sure their escort, the young guard that was acting as the bailiff for the hearing, didn't overhear.

"I'm not exactly happy about it either." Keith sighed, leaning heavily on the table and resting his chin on his crossed arms. "I'm genuinely fond of you Princess, and the idea that what's happened between us so far has been because of my body putting out some weird chemicals..." he let the sentence trail off, grimacing.

"I... I do not think it has all been because of that." Ayeka admitted with a slight blush. "Though I do believe that the one... incident... was likely triggered in part because of it. It was more than a little out of character for me after all." She managed a slightly sardonic smile with that last remark, though the blush was still firmly in place.

"Oh, I dunno." Keith drawled, unable to resist the opening she'd left him, "You've always struck me as being pretty darn aggressive when it come to getting what you want." Ayeka scowled at him for a second before returning his smirk.

"I suppose I must admit to that, but I'm afraid that you are severely overestimating your own value Keith-san." She replied coolly, the smirk widening a bit. "You qualify at most as being somewhat entertaining. You are far from being truly desirable."

"Ah, there's the sharp-tongued little harridan that I know and tolerate." Keith laughed. "So, where do we go from here Ayeka-chan?" he added after a few moments, his tone serious once again, but considerably lighter than it had been before.

"I suppose we will just have to wait and see Keith-kun." She replied, giving the shaggy-haired young man a soft, but genuine, smile.

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"You do know that this is not going to help my career, right Milord?" the young prosecutor groused, looking at the darkened image of his benefactor.

"We all have to make sacrifices if we are going to achieve our goals young one." The shadowy figure replied. "That false Emperor has held the throne for far to long."

"But this man is the one who killed our best hope in a thousand years to actually take the throne away from him." The dark-haired young man hissed. "Where is the sense in letting him go free without a fight?"

"It is not your place to know such things." The figure rebuked sharply. "Just do your duty."

"Yes Milord." The prosecutor replied humbly, bowing his head in response to the rebuke. He still did not understand his lords reasoning... but it was his duty and he would fulfill it. Though putting up enough of a fight to make it look like he hadn't thrown the hearing while following those orders would be... tricky... unless the evidence the other side presented turned out to be better than he thought.

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Keith was actually rather surprised at the brevity of the prosecutor's questions when he took the stand. From the look on Michio's face, the elder man was surprised as well. But surprised or not, Keith should have been thankful. If the dark haired lawyer had decided to press about his and Ayeka's relationship... Azusa could have had him executed even if they'd managed to prove him innocent on all counts. Jurain's were a bit old-fashioned when it came to their family honor, particularly where the honor of their daughters was concerned. Admittedly he could have refused to answer the questions based on the fact that they had nothing to do with the case at hand... but even that would have been more than enough to make Azusa suspicious.

Of course, that was really one f the things that the prosecutor may very well have seen no reason to ask. What really had startled him was the lack of depth to the questions. The slick-looking man had stayed strictly on topic, not pressing for extra details except where it was obviously necessary. As a result, Keith hadn't had to volunteer very much in the way of personal information, and had managed to keep a number of less than flattering parts of his past completely untouched.

But despite those pieces of good news, the shaggy young man couldn't help but feel worried; the whole situation reeked of a trap. He just couldn't see where the trap was.

As he took his seat after the last round of questioning was over, he gave Ayeka and Sasami what he hoped was a confident smile, which they returned, but he could see the nervousness they were feeling in their eyes.

"Why do you think he went so easy on you Keith-kun?" Ayeka whispered, leaning close to him to make sure no one would overhear the question.

"Damned if I know." Keith responded with a shrug.

"He may think he can get the lie detector evidence thrown out if this goes to trial, and he might be right given the historical precedence for such evidence." Michio interjected. "Though with any luck we should be able to avoid that particular eventuality."

"Barring any particular bias of the judge, we should be able to avoid having this farce go to trial at all." Ayeka stated firmly, sitting back in her chair and schooling her expression into the practiced neutrality every public figure eventually learned.

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He knew most people considered him to be fat. He also knew that there was some truth to that. But more importantly, he knew that most of the so-called 'fat' he carried around was solid muscle that his race had developed simply by evolving on a heavy gravity world. Of course, such things were neither her nor there. For the moment he was more concerned with maintaining his role as a member of the press pool even as the hearing dragged on seemingly forever.

It wasn't too hard really. Everybody was too focused on the events unfolding before them to notice that he barely knew which end of his camera was which, or that his scribbled notes mainly consisted of doodles of the judge and lawyers dying in interesting and unusual ways.

This was most definitely one of the most unusual jobs he had ever taken in his long career as an assassin. For one, he didn't actually HAVE to kill anyone to get paid, just make a convincing attempt.

Oh yes, this was going to be FUN. Assuming he didn't get killed doing it that was.

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"Ladies and gentlemen of the court, I'll warn you now that the evidence that we are about to present is of a VERY graphic nature." Michio began. "However, it WILL prove that Mr. O'Connor's version of events is the truth."

"I still say this is a bad idea." Keith muttered, barely loud enough for Ayeka to hear him. "When it's all said and done I did rip the guys head off yah know." Ayeka turned a bit green at that statement, and Keith winced inwardly when he realized exactly how insensitive that had been.

"I... am aware of that." The regal young woman replied quietly, her voice catching just a bit. "I've seen the tape."

"I'm sorry..." Keith whispered back weakly.

"As distasteful as that video is, it is the only way to truly clear you of the charges Keith." Ayeka responded, ignoring his apology. "It does, after all, confirm your version of events." She added, forcing a small smile as she turned to look at him. It wasn't in the least convincing, but this wasn't the time or the place to talk about it.

And in any case, they were starting the video...

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He was glad there was no audio. The sight alone had been gruesome enough without the wet, tearing, cracking, sound that he KNEW had accompanied it being broadcast for them all to hear. He'd killed hundreds of people. Quite often in rather gruesome ways... but the sight of the Duke's head flying from his body in a spray of gore was enough to turn his stomach.

Suddenly the job didn't seem like nearly as much fun.

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At least one member of the audience threw-up, one of the noblewomen fainted. About a half dozen people screamed. Pretty much everyone jumped. Keith didn't really notice. His eyes were focused almost entirely on the image of Talia. On the emotions that were passing over her face, of the way she walked over to his feral form and wrapped her arms around his neck in a comforting hug despite both of them being covered in blood and gore. Held him until he had changed back...

Then they tuned off the video and Michio began addressing the audience again.

"Now, no-one here is going to clam that the images we just saw were not disturbing, but one has to recognize that the woman in the video was under obvious and direct threat from Duke Satoshima when Mr. O'Connor acted." He paused, looking calmly around the room, leveling the full force of his not insignificant charisma at the audience. "One should also be able to recognize that Mr. O'Connor's actions, while rather gruesome to watch, were not that different from the actions a police officer or guardsman would have taken in a similar hostage situation. Mr. O'Connor simply lacked a firearm such as they would have employed."

"Is that true Miss Makibi?" the judge asked, turning to look at the teal-haired Galaxy Police officer. It took a second for Kiyone to respond, the question, or rather the fact that it had been directed at her, catching her by surprise.

"If the life of the hostage was in danger and I had a clean shot, I'd take it in an instant your honor." Kiyone responded firmly. "And I'd expect any other officer to do the same."

"Does the prosecution have anything to say to this?"

"Yes your Honor." The black-haired man responded, rising to his feet. "At this point the prosecution would like to drop the charge of murder in regards to Duke Satoshima. While I do believe that there is still a case, I do not believe it to be strong enough to win, and I do not believe that specific charge to be true myself at this point." He paused for a second to let that statement sink in. Keith could see Ayeka starting to smile out of the corner of his eye, but he was personally just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"However!" the young looking man continued, raising his voice partly for dramatic effect, partly just to silence the growing buzz of voices from the gathered audience of Jurian Royalty and media. "His innocence in that matter does not excuse him from the 97 other charges filed against him, and unless the defense has similar evidence in regards to these additional charges, the prosecution still has a significant and rather solid case against the defendant. One that by all legal precedence MUST to go to trail."

The judge sighed heavily, leaning back in her oversized chair as she considered the prosecutor's argument. After several tense seconds, she readjusted her glasses, and leaned forward to address the court.

"While I personally would like to declare all charges dropped and say you were free to go Mr. O'Connor, the prosecution is correct. You're innocence in regards to this one charge does not excuse you of the others that have been filed against you. The prosecution does have a case, and I have to let it go to trail." Keith simply nodded, if he had tried responding verbally there was no way in heaven or hell that he was going to maintain a civil tongue. Or utter ANYTHING that wasn't a curse-word of some sort for that matter.

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He couldn't help frowning a little at the Judge's announcement. This was most definitely not how he had been told that things would happen. If Mayhem didn't get off he wouldn't have a chance to do the job... and he'd never get the money they'd promised him. For the amount they were paying him and the assurances they'd given, he'd happily do the jail time he was probably going to get for it.

Unfortunately though, if the judge was going to hold the punk for future trail, there was jack crap that he'd be able to do about it.

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Kanno wasn't entirely sure how to take the announcement. It wasn't that he liked Mayhem or anything... the guy still scared him a little to be honest... but even he could tell that this was an injustice. Heck, even if the guy really did deserve it, it was going to screw up the interviews he'd been promised. Not that he really needed it anymore of course. The one he'd broken already all but proclaiming Mayhem's innocence had been enough to secure him a job at one of the sector's major newspapers.

And in any case, this was going to be a good story no matter what happened.

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"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Funaho's voice, the steel that was normally hidden beneath a layer of silk blatantly obvious, rang out across the packed room before the judge could bring down her gavel in the traditional sign that the session was over. Beside her, Azusa reluctantly nodded his agreement. Misaki did as well, though if anything, her nod was even more reluctant than her husband's.

"Mr. O'Connor." Funaho continued after a second. "My husband is willing to make a deal with you."

"A deal?" Keith asked, more than a little suspicious, but feeling a little more hopeful than he had a second ago.

"You are from a pre-star travel planet. Correct?"

"Yes Ma'am" Keith responded, not bothering to try and hide the grin that sprung firmly into place. He could see where this was going.

"If you agree to return to your home-world and remain there, the Royal family will agree to drop all charges against you." Keith had to force himself not to laugh; they didn't know he was from Earth! Apparently the fact that he wasn't a normal human had prevented the thought from even crossing their minds! If they knew there was no-way they'd ever have offered this deal, not with Ayeka and Sasami both staying on the planet.

"Agreed." He practically crowed in response, he would have jumped out of his chair in celebration if it weren't for the restraints.

"We will have to provide you with an internal locator beacon to make sure you do not violate this agreement of course..." she added, a slight edge of suspicion starting to creep into her voice.

"Of course." Keith agreed happily, though he managed to restrain himself a little at the change in tone. "I apologize for my excitement... but going home is what I've been trying to do ever since I was taken from it." He explained, perfectly truthful. Of course that wasn't the only reason for his glee, but they didn't need to know that.

"Well then." The judge interrupted, smirking a bit herself. "I guess that means there's nothing more to say here other than Case Dismissed!" and with that she brought her gavel down with a loud bang of wood on wood.

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"Mr. O'Connor!" a reporter, one of dozens, called from beyond the barrier that the local police had set up along the rather impressively long set of stairs that led down to the street from the courthouse's main entrance, "how do you feel about having been acquitted of the charges against you?" Keith ignored him like just like all the others. After all, he apparently had a deal (brokered by Yosho) with that reporter that'd he'd met at the hotel a few days back.

"My client has no comment at this time." Michio responded for him, the elder man's deep voice carrying easily over the crowd. "Any questions you have will be covered by the official press release, until then you all will just have to be patient." It didn't shut the crowd up of course, but at least the questions became less insistent... even if the flash of holo-cameras screwing up his night-vision was making it hard to see much to either side of them.

"You get used to it after a while." Ayeka mused as she walked beside him, the rest of their merry group trailing just behind, minus Tenchi and Ryoko. Ryoko just hadn't attended, Tenchi hadn't returned after the lunch break for whatever reason. "Even if you never learn to ignore them entirely."

"With any luck I won't have a chance to get used to it." Keith replied under his breath, barely loud enough for the purple haired girl to hear.

"So when do you plan on telling my father which planet you come from?" Ayeka asked, the slight smile that appeared with the question bordering on a smirk.

"I was going to try and avoid that particular detail if I could." Keith grimaced slightly. "At least until everything has been put in writing." Ayeka just laughed. "Hey, what time is it anyway?"

"Nearly 10:30 pm local time. Sari replied from behind them.

"She's not out quite yet then." He muttered with a slight frown.

"The kid you mean?" Sari asked. "Isn't that her right down there with Ryoko and Tenchi?" She said, pointing past him towards the base of the stairs. Keith followed the line of her finger and saw Ryoko and Tenchi standing next to a parked hovercar, a ten-year old girl with chocolate brown hair and unusually long ears standing between them, looking a little wobbly despite the medical exoskeleton strapped to her legs and waist.

"Jurai has a twenty-six hour day Keith." Ayeka reminded him, chuckling slightly at his confused expression. He didn't really hear it, and started to hurry his pace a little. The princess just rolled her eyes and picked up her own pace to keep up with him.

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Why did the steps have to be so fucking long he thought with a scowl, every second longer this took was another second for someone to notice that something wasn't quite right about his holocamera. And while he fully expected to get caught, he wouldn't get paid if he got caught before he even made the assassination attempt.

Finally! They were moving a little faster for some reason... 3... 2... 1... NOW!

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The ball of plasma that roared out of the crowd at him was very obviously subsonic. The simply fact that he could see it coming at all at such a short range meant it was traveling shit-slow for a projectile weapon of any sort, which meant hat the weapon was likely a home-made job or jury rigged in some way or another. Unfortunately, as interesting as all that was... it didn't change the fact that there was no way in heaven or hell he was going to dodge it, or that he was dead the second it hit as weak as he still was.

The shouted cry of "For my brother!", that accompanied the shot didn't even register.

Fortunately Ayeka's reactions were plenty fast enough and the ball of plasma splattered on the force-field that she threw between it and them, sending bits of flame everywhere. Erin's scream of pain as one of those bits landed on her pierced him to core.

This level of change really was an instinctive thing. He actually had found that he couldn't do it on purpose. Something to do with the temporary loss of intellect that went with it as parts of his brain literally went dormant to help compensate for the vast increase in energy consumption that the rest of his body experienced. His mind couldn't consciously do that to itself.

Not that he lost all awareness though. He still could see what he was doing, and he always remembered it afterwards... but what he did was all on instinct. And instinct wanted to rip out the throat of whoever had just harmed his daughter.

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The creature that Ayeka saw leaping for their assailant was much leaner than the one in the video, skinny and a bit ratty looking truth be told. But it was every bit as frightening. The fat man who had fired the shot was already running, and members of the press screamed as they scrambled to get out of its... his... way.

She'd seen him change but it was still hard to believe that the creature was actually Keith.

She had to stop him, and with that thought she raised another shield, wincing at the crackling noise that Keith's impact made as it stopped him in his tracks bare inches from his fleeing target. The man still didn't get far though, the guards tackling him a bare ten seconds later, but Ayeka had more important things on her mind.

"Keith!" she shouted, and gulped audibly as the creature turned towards her growling angrily, wolf's ears laid back flat against it's skull and every sharp tooth exposed. "She is alright." Ayeka continued in a softer tone. Keith looked towards his daughter, who was nursing a burnt arm but otherwise fine, and the fierce expression left his features... though the low growl continued. Steeling herself Ayeka started towards him.

Keith's head whipped back towards her as she stepped closer, and his ears went flat again. Ayeka didn't pause though, continuing towards him until there was a mere two feet between him. In this form he stood a little shorter than she did because of his crouching posture, but she still felt tiny next to him. The only part of him she still recognized was his silver-green eyes.

"Everything is fine." She assured, trying to make her voice soothing, though she couldn't help the slight tremble that crept into it. Kari had described him as a wild animal when he was like this, and Ayeka found herself wishing that she had had more experience with animals of any type even as she held out a hand slowly for his inspection like lord Tenchi had taught her to do with dogs back on Earth.

The growl changed to a low whine and she felt his nose, warm and dry unlike an actual wolf's, butt against her palm, and she let out the breath she hadn't even known she was holding.

"Yes... everything is fine."

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End Chapter Fourteen...

Next... the Prolog and eventually the sequel!


	15. Epilogue : An Ending of Sorts

Disclaimer – Original cast and universe Not mine. Other stuff Mine.

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Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes

Epilogue

An Ending of Sorts

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"Ryoko!" Ayeka barked, "Would you please stop watching those infernal broadcasts!"

"But it's just so damned CUTE Princess." The cyan haired girl shot back, deliberately pausing the scene right at the part she knew would bother the other girl the most. "C'mon, you KNOW you want this shot framed for your own personal use."

"I most certainly do not!" Ayeka protested, blushing hotly. "It was embarrassing enough when it happened. I do not need those pictures being shoved in my face to remind me of what happened. Oh Tsunami, just thinking about the rumor that incident is going to cause is enough to give me a migraine." The lavender-haired girl moaned, rubbing her temples

"Oh come on Ayeka, its not that bad." Ryoko laughed; a feral grin on her face.

"Not that bad!" Ayeka replied incredulously. "He licked me across the lips with three dozen major news networks filming live!"

"Hey, at least he didn't try and hump your leg or anything." Ryoko cackled evilly, making the other girl blanch.

"Ryoko... how is it that no matter how sick and depraved I think you are, you always manage to prove to me that you are in fact even worse than I thought?" Ayeka replied after a few seconds, fixing the other girl with a icy glare.

"You just don't have any imagination Princess," Ryoko laughed, enjoying the horrified look on the other girls face just a little too much, "and the stick up your ass certainly ain't helping any."

"Tell me Ryoko," Ayeka started, her eyes flashing with either anger or amusement, "when will you be sufficiently recovered to put up a decent fight? It wouldn't feel right to kill a cripple after all."

"I'll take you on right now Princess," Ryoko snarled back, her chin-length cyan hair practically bristling as she got to her feet and assumed a fighting stance. "I don't need any powers to beat yah to a bloody pulp."

"Both of you stop this right now!" Tenchi commanded as he walked into the room. "You aren't well enough to start your usual fights yet Ryoko, so stop egging Ayeka on."

"But Tenchi!" Ryoko whined...

"No buts!" Tenchi interrupted before the ex-pirate could continue. "And Ayeka, please don't encourage her, its hard enough to get her to rest as it is."

"Very well Tenchi-sama." Ayeka sighed, though she couldn't stop herself from smirking a little in triumph. "I suppose one of us will have to be the adult here, though I would appreciate it greatly if you could stop her from playing those damnable broadcasts around me."

"I'll see what I can do." Tenchi replied, rolling his eyes a bit.

"Very well then," Ayeka replied, bowing politely, "I suppose I shall get back to finding Keith-san then." With that and another warm smile in Tenchi's direction she left the room, only pausing briefly at the door to stick her tongue out at Ryoko's sulking figure.

"Well that was easier than I thought it would be." Tenchi muttered to himself as Ayeka disappeared a turn in the corridor. The glare that met him when he looked back in to the room was... fierce... to put it mildly.

"And here I thought guys were supposed to stand up for their girlfriends." Ryoko growled. "Of course you haven't even told anyone that we're together yet so I guess I should expect too much from you." She added coldly.

"Sorry Ryoko-chan." Tenchi sighed apologetically. "But you DID start this one... and I thought we agreed to give it a little time before we told everyone."

"Two weeks ago!" Ryoko snapped back. "And only because we were going to let her and Keith get a bit closer first."

"Which hasn't happened," Tenchi pointed out. "They've been too busy to spend time with each other... despite all of you girl's best efforts."

"Yeah yeah," Ryoko sighed, most of the fire going out of her eyes, "Ayeka's been doing damage control over that," she started pointing vaguely in the direction of the TV... which was still displaying Ayeka's shocked face as Keith licked her across the lips while in his wolf-form... "and Keith's been too damned busy with the media and Erin."

"And it hasn't helped that they've both been trying very hard to convince Ayeka's father that they're both just friends." Tenchi added with a shrug. "So let's just give it a little bit longer."

"Fine..." Ryoko pouted, "but just a little longer."

"Thank you Ryoko-chan." Tenchi smiled, walking over to give the girl a hug now that he figured it was safe.

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They were still hours away from being back home... there wasn't a chance in hell that he could actually pick out Sol from all the other stars yet... but it didn't mean he couldn't try. Hence the reason why he had spent the last hour or so sprawled out face-down on the floor of the observation lounge looking at the passing stars.

"It's just a planet yah know." Erin pointed out with a sigh that sounded almost comically adult coming out of her ten-year old form. "You've been on hundreds."

"Only a couple dozen actually, never saw a point in running blindly around the galaxy looking for Earth when I could do most of the research from pretty much anyplace with a computer. Besides, you can't tell me you're not the least bit interested in meeting the rest of your family Erin-chan." Keith replied with a slight grin, looking over his shoulder to where his daughter was sprawled across one of observation deck's plush couches, one of Mihoshi's manga in her hand.

"...I guess..." she mumbled back, her long ears drooping a bit.

"So what's bugging you then?" Keith asked quietly, one hand absentmindedly brushing through his shaggy mop of brown hair as he turned to face her entirely.

"It's just..." the dark haired girl started hesitantly, "I'm just nervous I guess. I mean... they've never even seen an alien before... and I can't really pass for human without the holo-emitter Washu gave me... and my accent still sounds really weird when I speak English... and..."

"They're going to love you." Keith interrupted, smiling as he stood up and sat down on the couch beside his newfound daughter. "You're family, nothing else is going to matter to them... besides, after they find out that I'm a werewolf and a former member of the galaxy's most wanted, the fact that you're only half human shouldn't be all that big a deal." He added jokingly, tweaking Erin's nose lightly.

"If you say so..." Erin sighed, sounding less than convinced, but looking noticeably less nervous.

"There you two are." Ayeka exclaimed with a soft smile as she entered the lounge.

"What' up Ayeka-chan?" Keith asked, ruffling Erin's hair as he stood to greet the young princess.

"Washu wanted to tell me that she was able to confirm your parents address," the young princess informed him, her smile widening a bit when the shaggy boy's own smile turned into a full-blown excited grin. "They apparently have not moved from the house they were in when you were taken."

"Figured they wouldn't," Keith responded, "they love that old place too much. It's nice to know that I was right though."

"She also wanted me to ask you if you would like to come with us to Tenchi's home, or simply have us take you straight to your parent's home."

"Actually... I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

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It had originally been built as a farmhouse in the mid 1800's, though the left wing of the house had been added on much later, around 1920 or so. It was vaguely colonial in style, but the builders had been much more concerned with practicality than looks. That said, it had stood the test of time well, and if not for its style it could have passed for brand new. The yard was large by the standards of the area, but still was under an acre, more modern houses having long encroached on it as the local area turned from farm country to suburbs.

The front yard was home to three very large and very old trees, and more could bee seen in the back yard, and around each tree was a sizable and well cared for flower garden. In addition, the houses wide porch was bordered by flowering bushes and shrubberies... not that any of them were blooming this late in the year.

As she walked up the old wooden steps Ayeka could hear music drifting from one of the second story windows... a piano piece of some kind, but nothing she recognized unsurprisingly. Taking a deep breath to steady herself as she reached the heavy oak door, she knocked, and was surprised to realize that the music she had been hearing wasn't a recording as it cut off with a brief series of missed notes.

Not terribly long after that the door opened to reveal a woman who looked would have looked to be forty at most if not for the deep worry lines at the corners of her eyes and the streaks of gray in her flaming red hair. The woman just barely avoided being rail-thing, and looked somewhat frail, but one look at her bright green eyes was more than enough to convince Ayeka that she was a much stronger person than her appearance implied.

"Can I help you miss?" the elder woman asked, her voice soft and with a slight lilt to it.

"Hello Mrs. O'Connor." Ayeka began formally, bowing slightly despite Keith's instructions not to, "My name is Ayeka, and I'm a friend of your son."

"Michael's friend?" the red head woman asked, her brow furrowing slightly as she tried to remember if her youngest child had ever mentioned the name Ayeka.

"No, Keith's." Ayeka corrected, "He wanted me to give you a message..."

End

(To be continued in the, as of yet, unnamed sequel.)


End file.
